In a previous review, I had mentioned how Japan produces elaborate entertainment for a lot of niche audiences. In another review, I had covered a Japanese TV comedy serial targeted at people who are tired of high-strung work environments. Today's review targets the same group with a different niche form of entertainment — movies without a story.
Megane is a story without a story. A female professional escapes the city and visits an isolated beach-side resort. There is not much to do at the resort than look at the sea. There is a seaside stall offering shaved ice from the same proprietress. She also runs a fun exercise+dance session for kids from a nearby school. One teacher from that school stays at the resort. That is all about the story. The End.
It was slower than Elipathayam, India's most notorious but award-winning slow film. In the Terminator 2 movie, there is no dialogue for the first 15 minutes. In Elipathayam, I remember it as having no dialogue at all. I did not see it fully then and I will probably not see it in future.
Megane moves at even more glacial pace. There is some humour. There is some mystery.
There is another movie named Mother Water with almost the same cast in a different setting. It also has no story.
I used to wonder why someone would make Elipathayam and for whom. Megane also made me wonder. Maybe for exhausted people who do not have the mental energy to follow a real story, a movie such as Megane would be the right entertainment.
Japanese TV dramas no more
I have seen so many Japanese TV serials that I am unable to watch an English movie without subtitles. Like in India, Japanese TV dramas even if very good can be quite formulaic. I am now tired of stories that have a sulking introverted character who remains resistant to the pulls and pressures of the happy extroverted leading character until the last episode. No, I am not saying I want more realistic stories. Japanese directors can give you too much reality so do not try to downplay their talents. I am watching serials at a faster pace than the average Japanese TV watcher so the flaws get amplified. Perhaps if I stick to pre-2000 dramas, I will find more variety. Generally, all pre-mobile-phone-era entertainment is entertaining.
Movies like Megane
- Kame Wa Igai To Hayaku Oyogu (Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers)
UPDATE (next day)
After writing this blog post, I downloaded Elipathayam and tried to watch it again. Yes, it is the slow-moving tortoise that I can recall from decades ago. I gave it twenty minutes. It was enough.
I wonder what high-pressured lifestyle Keralites at that time pursued that they needed this movie to depressurize. If I recall correctly, this movie was released at a time when Communists had scared away all industrialists and whoever remained had to deal with back-to-back lockouts and strikes.