Harmful Insect

Aka: Gaichu
Director: Shiota Akihiko
Release date: September 6, 2001
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English (Soft-subbed)
Genre: Drama

Starring:
Miyazaki Aoi - Kita Sachiko
Tanabe Seiichi - Ogata
Sawaki Tetsu - Takao
Amamiya Ryo - Tokugawa
Ishikawa Koji - Kyuzo
Aoi Yuu - Natsuko
Ryo - Kita Toshiko
Suzuki Yuusaku - Hanasaka

Synopsis:
Aoi Miyazaki plays Sachiko, a thirteen year-old girl living with her depressed mother. The film starts by showing her mother's suicide attempt, a scene that pretty much sets the tone, both content-wise and stylistically. Director Akihiko Shiota is brutally honest in showing what happens, but never exploitive or dramatic. When in the next scene both of them are at the breakfast table the next morning, things aren't as they seem. While going through the parenting motions, mother is wearing a bandage around her wrist. And even though Sachiko is wearing her school uniform, she has long since dropped out of school. Sachiko is a sad and lonely girl, trapped in a mature world. Alienated from her classmates and even her own mother who is never there for her, she has closed herself up from everybody. And there's the rumor about an affair with her math teacher who left town to go work somewhere else. They correspond through letters, and it's obvious she still depends on him a lot.
One night when she's walking home, a stranger saves her from almost being assaulted by an older man. When she keeps looking her rescuer straight in the face, she has the most perfect and saddest smile, one that says 'save me' and 'please kill me' at the same time. It's an extremely touching moment. She then starts running after him, and with a nice little surreal touch it's suddenly broad daylight when she's still running after him. It turns out the young man lives in an old abandoned factory building, together with his retarded uncle. Being an outsider herself Sachiko hooks up with them, and for the first time we see her being somewhat at peace. But the good times don't last, and when her new friend gets involved with a violent gang she's on her own again. The scenes of her aimlessly wandering around the town, contemplating suicide, are just perfect. A truck pulling up behind her, honking its horn. When she walks around a corner a sudden blast of wind literally almost blows her away. Danger is just around the corner. But so is help, and this time it's her best friend and classmate Natsuko, played by the wonderful Yu Aoi who played a character a little bit like Sachiko in Shunji Iwai's masterpiece LILY CHOU-CHOU NO SUBETE. She convinces Sachiko to come back to school with her. But even though all her classmates are kind to her it doesn't work because she no longer connects with any of them. Then when she almost gets raped by her mother's new boyfriend, it's all too late and she goes over the edge.
(Credit: asianmediawiki)

Review:
Bleak film. A must see for Miyazaki Aoi fans, but it's bleak. Most excellent seeing Miyazaki Aoi and Aoi Yuu acting together.

Trailer:



Related Links:
Trailer: Youtube
More Info: IMDb
Download Links: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - sub

Curiosities:
Awards:
Cinemanila International Film Festival 2002: Best Actress Aoi Miyazaki
Japanese Professional Movie Awards 2003: Best Film; Best Director: Akihiko Shiota
Nikkan Sports Film Awards: Best New Talent Aoi Miyazaki

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