Review by John Packman.

Bare-Assed Japan, the debut film of director Ishii Yuya, examines the timeworn subject of post-adolescent ennui and sexual confusion from a refreshingly unfamiliar vantage point. As you may have gleaned from the title, the film's approach to sexuality is somewhat less than delicate; the opening shot finds recent high school graduate Taro (Toyone Yuichi) frantically jacking off on his bedroom floor, only to have his efforts thwarted when his seemingly oblivious grandfather enters the room. This mortifying episode sets the stage for essentially everything else that happens to Taro, a brooding young man whose unenviable family life and gormless friends have rendered him painfully unequipped for the encroaching demands of adulthood. His decision to escape to a house in the country with Yoko, the object of his affection, goes horribly awry when his deadbeat father decides to join them at the last minute.

Ishii's film is decidedly crude, both in content and execution, but this rough-hewn quality fits its subject matter perfectly. Countless films have been made about the emotional and sexual growing pains of young men, but few in recent memory have been this honest or observant. Taro is a compelling protagonist despite never exactly being likable, and Toyone's performance deftly straddles this line, exhibiting an adept comic sensibility while hinting at something darker in his moral haze. The film is occasionally reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch's early efforts in its awkward silences, laconic pacing and willingness to dwell on the mundane. The end result is a surprisingly assured debut for Ishii, one which finds both laughs and poignancy in unlikely spots.

Bare-Assed Japan
Ishii Yuya | Japan | 2007 | 91min

Wed. Oct. 3 | 7:30pm | VanCity Theatre
Thur. Oct. 4 | 1:45pm | VanCity Theatre