FOREBODING

Okay, so stop me if you have heard this one before:

A unknown number of aliens head to Earth on a fact finding mission in preparation for a mass invasion by the rest of their race. The aliens first find a host body to inhabit and then find a guide to help them gather as much information about the human race as possible. Due to the fact that words and language are so cumbersome, complex and easily misunderstood, the aliens prefer to steal “concepts” from humans instead. They get a human to think of a concept such as ownership, work, family or even love, and when they have determined the human has a focused, complete definition of that concept, they tap them on the head with their finger taking that information from them, causing the human to faint in the process. When the aliens deem that they have enough of an understanding about the human race, the destruction of Earth and annihilation of the human race is set to begin. Is there anything that the humans can do to stop this event from happening??

No, this is not another review for Kiyoshi Kurosawa's “Before We Vanish”, but rather for his companion film of that story, “Foreboding”, which actually started life as a five part television miniseries before being edited down into the feature format that it is now. What is so exciting about “Foreboding” is that it gives director Kurosawa the opportunity to tell the same base story as “Before We Vanish” but to do so with a completely different tone and outcome. It is such a rare occurrence to see two variations of the same story being released by the same author at around the same time. Personally, I am not sure of the genesis of this project but you could imagine Kurosawa wanting to attempt to tackle a different tone to the one that he committed to in “Before We Vanish” and “Foreboding” has given him that chance. I guess its a case of having your cake and eating it too, because by doing two different projects of the same material, you can experiment as to which approach was better, the lighter mood and larger scale of “Before We Vanish”, or the much darker and intimate, “Foreboding”.

As you can see above, I describe the film as being the same “base” story because, while both films are about aliens collecting data from humans, there are enough differences between the two stories to make each film unique. While “Before We Vanish” is much lighter in tone, almost to the point of being comedic at times, “Foreboding” has been imbued with a much different atmosphere; it is dark, grim and......wait for it.....foreboding. This version plays much more like a horror film with the aliens themselves being much more sadistic in their thirst for knowledge. They use their ability to steal concepts in a way that causes much mental anguish upon their victim, and appear to enjoy the pain they are causing. It gets to the point where the aliens, once they feel they have reaped enough concepts from the humans, give the sense that they are a totally superior race and we are nothing in their eyes. Also, different from the other film, these aliens share a physical bond with their human guide, as they make the human's right arm numb and can supply the arm with intense pain whenever they want. It is also up to the guide to choose the humans that they reap from, and maybe it is this that gives the alien a sadistic feel to them, because the guides obviously choose humans that they aren't particularly fond of or who have wronged them in the past.

One aspect of “Foreboding” that is very successful is the exploration of what exactly happens to the victim once they lose a certain concept from their mind. The big one is the concept of “family” which is essentially glossed over and used for laughs in “Before We Vanish”, whereas in “Foreboding”, the poor girl who loses that concept, can no longer live or even look at her father because she does not recognise him as such. To her, the only thing that he can be must be a ghost, and she lives in total fear because of this. It is actually very sad because the poor father does not understand why his daughter, who he has loved her entire life, now rejects him so completely. This element is one of the strongest of “Foreboding”, however after awhile the story focuses in different directions than the plight of the victims.

As I alluded to above, “Foreboding” is much smaller in scope than the more ambitious “Before We Vanish”. There are no big action scenes, no attempt by the army and governments to fight and stop these aliens. Instead we have a more intimate story of really, only three characters: the alien, Matsuka (played by Masahiro Higashide), his human guide, Tetsuo (Shota Sometani) and his wife Etsuko (Kaho). Between these characters we get an insight of the reaping process and the potential outcome of this future alien invasion. A nice touch to the proceedings is in the character of Etsuko, who turns out to be something of a special human, and someone that the aliens cannot reap from. It is within her that we sense hope for Earth. I must say though that I was not a fan of Kaho's performance as Etsuko as she walks through this entire story with only one expression on her face the whole time. She is told that the world is going to end: stony faced. She is told her husband is a slave to an alien: stony faced. She is told that the supermarket is out of corn flakes: stony faced. Okay, that last one didn't happen, but you get my point. On the other hand, I thought that Shota Sometani was very good at portraying a man struggling with the enormity of what he is forced to do and the guilt that is associated with that. I have been a fan of Sometani since I saw him in Sion Sono's “Himizu” where I thought he was amazing in the lead role. Masahiro Higashide was fine as the alien, although his portrayal was a little loose and carefree, and he made the alien totally unlikable, but I guess that was his job.

In my “Before We Vanish” review I stated that I enjoyed it because it wasn't as serious as I was expecting nor as is the norm for Kiyoshi Kurosawa. In a somewhat contradictory statement, I must say that I loved the more serious and grim tone of “Foreboding”. Kurosawa did a stellar job at creating a very uneasy atmosphere and even giving the film a number of horror sequences. Scenes of the aliens walking through crowded rooms with the humans collapsing all around them are genuinely creepy and frightening. For me though, it was the constant uneasy atmosphere that Kurosawa built that I found most impressive. His direction is phenomenal in this and it is very easy to see that he understands horror and feels right at home at creating scenes of it. While I was impressed by his direction in “Before We Vanish”, I felt that this was at a whole other level. Maybe that is because it played more to my sensibilities, I am not sure, but I was so impressed. Especially when you consider the fact that this film started life as a television series. Kurosawa is definitely not slumming it here or even falling back on television style courage. He shot the entire thing as if it was one of his films and it is one of the reasons why “Foreboding” works so well as a feature.

Where its television origins work as a negative though, is in some of the film's pacing. At times you can feel that scenes are moving at such a pace to fill the episode run-time, and as a result the film is (once again) far too long. It loses a little bit of momentum in the middle of the story, almost like its wading in water waiting for the finale to come. When that finale does arrive though, it is does so with aplomb. While not to the scale of the end of “Before We Vanish”, the humans still attempt to fight back and there is quite an impressive sequence involving some large metal pipes in a warehouse. What I loved most though is that the ending of the two films are completely different. Personally I think that the ending of “Before We Vanished” is the stronger of the two, but the ending of “Foreboding” fits everything that has come before it and works perfectly for this version of the story.

Overall, I really had a great time with “Foreboding”. While it shares the same base storyline as “Before We Vanish”, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's handling of the material is completely different with its very serious and dark tone. It is much smaller in scale than the earlier film, but for mine, I preferred this version of the alien invasion tale. As usual, Kurosawa's direction and Akiko Ashizawa's cinematography are the highlights here, but I found “Foreboding” endlessly entertaining while being both creepy and terrifying in parts. I must admit that I have been shocked by the negative reviews for this film, because for me “Foreboding” is another Kiyoshi Kurosawa success.

3.5 Stars.

BEFORE WE VANISH

The past few years have been a particularly productive period for Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Since 2015, he has directed five films including the soppy, romance-from-the-dead story “Journey to the Shore”, his return to the crime genre “Creepy”, his underrated and sadly under seen French ghost story “Daguerrotype”, which brings us to his two 2017 features: “Before We Vanish” and “Foreboding”. “Before We Vanish” tackles the science fiction genre and is Kurosawa's version of a Hollywood staple: the alien invasion film. However his handling of the material is about as far away from the Hollywood norm as possible, as it is subtle, quiet, full of humanity and heart and only has the bare minimum of explosions and blood. But does any of that means it is any good? Lets take a look, shall we?

Three aliens head to Earth on a fact finding mission in preparation for a mass invasion by the rest of their race. The aliens first find a host body to inhabit and then find a guide to help them gather as much information about the human race as possible. When the alien takes over the body of their host, they also take over their essence so they essentially become different people completely to who they initially were. Due to the fact that words and language are so cumbersome, complex and easily misunderstood, the aliens prefer to steal “concepts” from humans instead. They get the human to think of a concept such as ownership, work, family or even love, and when they have determined the human has a focused, complete definition of that concept, they tap them on the head with their finger taking that information from them, causing the human to faint in the process. The aliens then must find each other (as they have been separated around different parts of Japan) and then set off a transmitter to signal its time to invade. However along their journey, the government learns of their presence and is attempting to hunt them down, while they also start to find parts of humanity intriguing.

I must admit that when the first trailers for “Before We Vanish” came out, I was a little disappointed and I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it, to be honest. Well I am happy to report that I had a great time with the film, mainly because it wasn't as dead serious as I was expecting it to be. In fact, for a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film, I was pleasantly surprised by how light the tone was and how the film didn't take itself too seriously. While you would never call “Before We Vanish” a comedy, it has been created with a light touch, finding funny moments where it can, with some fish out of water moments from the aliens (literally in one case). From a directorial standpoint, Kurosawa is at the top of his game. He, along with his regular cinematographer Akiko Ashizawa, are in total control of the images and story, and it is all expertly handled. In fact some of the camera moves in the film are both complex and impressive, but they never feel like he is showing off; they suit the story perfectly. Its funny, but I never really know how to explain Kiyoshi Kurosawa's visual style, even though it is easily identifiable, which is still the case in “Before We Vanish”. It is a clean, no fuss style that gives off the vibe that none of it has been prepared extensively, when it obviously has. Another thing that Kurosawa is great at is using low-fi effects, and with this film I am mainly thinking of the explosions and plane effects towards the end of the film.

The interesting notion of the film is the aliens stealing concepts from humans, because as a side effect it then leaves that human without any notion of that concept. For example, one of the aliens steals from his guide's sister the concept of “family”. Once she comes to, she no longer recognises her sister as someone from her family, and immediately flees this, now, stranger's house. Similarly, removing a concept from some humans is the source of a lot of the comedy in the film, as we suddenly see very serious humans revert to a childlike state once the concept of work has been removed from their mind. A cliché often found in these types of films is that the aliens find something that they love about humanity or learn to love humans, and while “Before We Vanish” is a victim of this too, it has been handled in a much different manner. No matter how much they are impressed by us, the aliens are determined that no matter what, the invasion will happen; it is only a matter of time. Kiyoshi Kurosawa has handled apocalyptic tales before in “Kairo” and “Charisma”, but as I have mentioned already, this time around it is a much lighter approach. The stakes are the same, but it just doesn't feel as heavy, which could mainly be due to the fact that very few of the humans actually know that the world is about to cease to exist.

While there is a lot I loved about this film, I did have a couple of problems with “Before We Vanish”, although none of these are major. First up, the film is just far too long. This is a problem with cinema in general these days, but I think that a good twenty minutes of the film could have been removed to make the film better. Its not because some of the scenes are terrible, rather that they are making the same points already made earlier, so the reaping of concepts starts to become a little repetitive. Another issue I had with the film was the characterisations of the aliens. Two of the three are very goofy and always smiling to the extreme, whilst the other alien (played by Ryuhei Matsuda) looks constantly sullen and doesn't smile the entire film. There is no explanation in the film as to why Matsuda's alien is so different from the other two, so it comes across as a little odd. Speaking of lack of explanations, there is also no indication given as to how the alien's presence on Earth has been discovered by the government. I assume it is during the time one of them is given a blood test, but it is never explained which I found very frustrating.

What I loved about “Before We Vanish”, besides the fact that it was so damned entertaining, was its finale, which I guess you could say is two fold. Some may find the end very anti-climatic, especially if they are expecting a huge Hollywood ending (don't stress guys, there is still explosions, guns and blood), but all this leads up to the most beautifully, heartbreaking end to the film. This is where the real heart of the film lies and it shows its true humanity, as it examines what true love is and how painful it is to live in a world without love. Kurosawa does not overplay the finale at all, and it is all the better for it. As I said, I found the ending so beautiful, but totally heartbreaking. It is all the more so, due to the scenes leading up to the end, where actress Masami Nagasawa just owns the screen with her performance. She plays the wife of one of the human's taken over by an alien and she is the best thing about “Before We Vanish”. She is perfectly grounded and on the edge of wanting to fall in love again with the husband who has hurt her in the past, even though she knows that he is no longer the same man. Its a complex position her character is put in and Nagasawa is perfect at displaying this.

Overall, while this is not top tier Kiyoshi Kurosawa, I found “Before We Vanish” to be a hell of a lot of fun. His tale of alien invasion has been handled with a lighter touch than is usual or expected from this director and this lighter tone is complimented by the, at times, silly and goofy score from Yusuke Hayashi. While I had a few issues with some lack of explanation and the characterisations of the aliens, these were minor issues that didn't really effect my enjoyment. As usual, Kurosawa's direction is superb and I was a big fan of the film's ending which I found both beautiful and heartbreaking. For those expecting an alien invasion film the likes that Hollywood make, you are likely to be disappointed, but for mine, I found “Before We Vanish” to be hugely entertaining and I look forward to watching its companion film “Foreboding” in the next week or so.

3 Stars.

 

SWEET COUNTRY

Nine years ago, I was absolutely bowled over by an Australian film by the name of “Samson & Delilah”; a beautiful and painful love story between two Aboriginal teenagers, as they attempt to survive in a world that appears to not want them. It is a dark and at times brutal film, but at the same time it is full of such beauty and hope as it shows how love can look past the faults in a person, and be there for them after they fall and need to be picked up again. Visually, the film was also something else, exposing Central Australia's stunning landscapes for everyone to see. The film's director was Warwick Thornton, and “Samson & Delilah” was actually his feature debut. Ever since, I have been waiting for this talented artist's next feature, and while the wait has been long, it is finally over with the release of “Sweet Country”.

Set in Northern Australia in the 1920's, “Sweet Country” is the tale of Sam, an Aboriginal farmhand, who one day in an act of self defence (for himself and his wife) shoots dead a white man attempting to aggressively enter the house he is living in. Although the shooting was just, Sam knows that the fact that he is an Aboriginal and the man he shot was white, he will be hunted down and made to pay. He grabs his wife and flees into the Australian outback, before a quickly arranged posse, led by Sergeant Fletcher, gathers intent on finding him and making him hang for his crime.

This is such a simple story sublimely told by Thornton. There are large chunks of the film that are dialogue free and the images are left to tell the story. As Sam and his wife flee, we are gifted with stunning image after stunning image of the Australian outback to the point that it would not be wrong to say that “Sweet Country” is a love letter to the landscapes of the outback. The beautiful red soils, the blue skies that appear to go on forever, and the stunning and otherworldly salt lakes. I suppose there could be a cynical viewer that deems the film to be nothing more than a travelogue for Northern Australia, but there is a whole lot more going on here than just pretty pictures. However before we leave the topic, let me mention that Warwick Thornton himself fills the role of the film's cinematographer, and does a stunning job with it all. He not only excels with the exposing of Australia's stunning vistas but the characters themselves are always expertly lit. Watching the film, it reminded me of something French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung said in an interview once when he was explaining why he changed his cinematographer from Benoit Delhomme, who lensed Hung's first two films, to Mark Lee-Ping for “The Vertical Ray of the Sun”, his third film. He said that although Delhomme and Lee-Ping were both fantastic cinematographers, Lee-Ping had the added advantage of being Asian himself, that gave him almost an unconscious understanding of how best to light the Asian skin. Warwick Thornton, being Aboriginal himself, I believe understands that same thing, because the way he lights his Aboriginal characters especially just brings a light out in their skin that is so beautiful that I'm not sure that I have seen before, except in “Samson & Delilah”, his previous film.

What is interesting about the film is its structure and in the fact that it is essentially broken down into three parts. The first being the set up, and lead up to the violent encounter. The second, the fleeing and hunt through the outback, and finally, the trial, where not only Sam is being judged but also the racism that exists within the country town too. However within this relatively normal structure, Thornton does a strange thing when he introduces characters to us, in that he gives us brief “flash forwards” to the character's fates in the future. Initially we, the audience, do not understand these brief images but we soon come to learn what they all mean. It was an interesting device, that I actually really liked, as the images are quite arresting and powerful and almost juxtaposes what is happening to the character in the present compared to how they will be by the end.

Essentially the film is a violent attack on and a call for help against racism that sadly still exists in Australia even today. It's troubling that I do not doubt for a minute that if this story was brought to modern times, it would still work, as I am sure an Aboriginal man would be looked upon more negatively today if he or she shot a white person, even if like Sam, it was a just killing. In other words, the film's story is quite relevant in today's society too. I also think that the Australian release date of the film, which was January 25^th , is also indicative about what the film is trying to say. Recent debate about whether the date of Australia Day should be changed or whether the day should be celebrated at all, as it is the date that the country was invaded by white man and stolen from the indigenous people of the land. “Sweet Country” no doubt showcases the destructive nature of the takeover of the land by the whites here, and of the fact that they had no self awareness that they were invaders, due to their arrogance.

Warwick Thornton has cobbled together an outstanding cast for “Sweet Country” and though the big names of Bryan Brown and Sam Neill are both outstanding (as is Ewan Leslie as the outwardly racist and soon to be dead rancher Harry March), the film belongs to newcomer but old timer, Hamilton Morris who plays Sam. It is stunning to think that this is Morris's first role in a film, as his inexperience never shows for an instant. He is always believable as this sweet man with a caring soul, terrified of the fate that appears bestowed upon him after doing what he needed to do to save himself and his wife. He doesn't say much, but it is all in this man's eyes. They give away everything in how he is feeling, not to mention exposing all of his life experiences. It is a beautifully subtle performance, that makes you feel for this poor man's plight. The one performance that I was not a huge fan of, though, was by Matt Day who plays a judge towards the film's end. While every one else in the film came across so natural and as part of this world, he stood out and appeared very “stagey”. You could feel him act more than the other performers.

Overall, there is so much more I could still say about “Sweet Country” as this is a stunning Australian film. While it moves at a deliberate pace, I never once found the film boring, rather I was swept up in its majestic images and sounds of the Australian outback and mesmerised by it all. I have failed to mention that the film has no score, and yet it is never missed. While I would never say that the film is too violent, I should mention that when violence is committed, Thornton does not hold back. This is violence that you feel; it is bloody and messy and it hurts like hell. For mine, Warwick Thornton has created yet another stunning Australian film with “Sweet Country” and I hope we do not have to wait another decade for a follow up to it.

4 Stars.