Film review: ‘SIDONIE IN JAPAN’, by Nick Gardener from ‘Built For Speed’

Like a very restrained and low-key mix of Lost In Translation and Truly Madly Deeply, Sidonie in Japan, is a tonally shaky but still very charming and at times moving story of grief, guilt, alienation and emotional healing.

Isabelle Huppert plays moderately famous author Sidonie Perceval who, while still trying to come to terms with her husband Antoine’s (August Diehl) death, has arrived in Japan for a book signing tour for a re-released novel she wrote years earlier that was based on a family tragedy.  There, after bumbling her way through unfamiliar Japanese protocols, she slowly becomes close to the grim taciturn Japanese publisher Kenzo (Tsuyoshi Ihara).  Her grief for Antoine still grips her, however, to the point that she literally sees and talks to his ghost. There’s not a lot more to the plot here but story complexities and plot developments aren’t director Elise Girard’s main concern.  This is a mood piece about the impact of trauma and the struggle to move past it.

Girard gives the film an austere look but subtly infuses it with emotion in a way that has been compared to the work of Japanese legend Yasujiro Ozu.  Girard breaks up the film’s precise unadorned style with initially disconcerting but mostly appealing otherworldly elements like off-kilter back projections while Sidonie and Kenzo are sitting in a car and romantic fantasy sequences which convey Sidonie’s sense of disconnection and shifting emotional state.

The stark, recurring piano piece on the soundtrack and the characters’ often dour facial expressions at times makes this film seem a little forced while Antoine’s ghostly pop-ins feel a bit kooky at first.  Fortunately, the strength and believability of the two lead performances keep the film grounded. Huppert, who normally plays intense forbidding characters, shows emotional vulnerability here as well as a talent for comedy.

Not only is this a film about someone coming to terms with themselves, it’s also about them understanding and imbibing a remarkable new world, in this case Japan.  Consequently, the film showcases some stunning Japanese locations with ornamental gardens, sprawling, bustling cities and the imposing sight of Mount Fuji.

This slow-burn film may be a little ponderous to some but those who enjoy cinema that stops to focus on the smaller details of a person’s experience will find this a very charming experience.

Nick’s rating: ***1/2

Genre: Drama/ Romance/ comedy.

Classification: PG.

Director(s): Élise Girard.

Release date: 4th July 2024.

Running time: 95 mins.

Reviewer: Nick Gardener can be heard on “Built For Speed” every Friday night from 8-10pm on 88.3 Southern FM.

 

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