中の人の邦画放談② 「羊の木」

*English translation below

一番好きな映画は「桐島、部活やめるってよ」の音響課tomocarlです。
「羊の木」初日初回に観ました！
吉田大八ファンなので、待ってた！^o^/

（あらすじ）
人も良いし魚もうまい街・魚深の市役所に勤める月末（つきすえ）に託されたのは
「6人の元殺人犯を魚深市で引き受ける」仕事だった。
彼らの更生と街の過疎の一挙解決を狙ったプロジェクトだという。
上司からは、6人を出来るだけ関わらせないようにするよう命じられるが、
課の後輩・田代が地元の奇祭に彼らを呼んでしまうことからプロジェクトは綻んでいく。

スクリーンに描かれる殺人犯6人とその周辺の人間模様から、
疑念、信愛、嫉妬、寛容、そして優香さんエロいwと様々な感情が呼び起こされます。
すごい、めっちゃ心がざわつく！

そして、話が進むにつれて、恐怖の感情が占めてゆきます。
おおお大八流サスペンスホラーじゃん？！

また、大八フォーマットとも言えるファンタジー演出も、奇祭（民俗伝承）として描かれています。
クライマックスにもちゃんとファンタジー絡んでますよ！

と、大八ファンの期待する展開だったんですが、
ずっと心がざわついていたせいでオチが弱く感じられてしまいました。
前科者を社会はどう受け容れるか？というテーマを大事にしたせいか、ファンタジー部分も、うーむ…もっと華やかで良かったのでは？（前作「美しい星」のファンタジーは、派手ではないが華やかで見事でしたので）

とはいえ、大八作品は安心安定のクオリティ。
俳優陣、良いですよ！
前述の優香さん、彼女には皆さん驚くと思います！ぜひ観てほしい。
そして主演の錦戸さんがジャニーズオーラ封印で、見事に居そうな市職員を演じきってます！
あとは、怪演？の犯人役が印象深いですよ！

次回は、「勝手にふるえてろ」について書こうかなと。
吉田大八作品の次が、大九明子作品ｗ

（tomocarl）

AMATA Staff Talk Japanese Film, No. 2 – “Hitsuji no Ki”

I am tomocarl from the sound section of AMATA K.K. here again, and just so you know my favorite movie is “The Kirishima Thing”.
I went to see the very first screening of “Hitsuji no Ki”!
I’ve always been a fan of Daihachi Yoshida’s work, so I was looking forward to it! ^o^/

<Summary>
The job entrusted to municipal official Tsukisue was to parole six convicted murderers in the city of Uobuka, a port town where “both the seafood is delicious and the people are friendly”.
It was a project designed to solve two problems—the depopulation of the town, and the rehabilitation of the six people accepted.
Tsukisue’s superiors order him to avoid letting the six associate with each other, but when another city official, Tashiro, invites them all to Uobuka’s strange festival, the plan begins to come apart at the seams.

You’ll get a lot of feelings from looking at the portrayal of these six people, from those of doubt, intimacy, envy, acceptance, and “Man, I think I’m liking what I’m seeing from Yuka-san here!” (laughs)  It really takes you for an emotional ride!

As the story progresses however, the viewer is consumed by a sense of fear.
This is where the  Daihachi-style suspense horror comes in, isn’t it?!

The fantasy acting Daihachi is so well-known for gets a chance to shine here as well, in the form of a folk festival in the film.
Fantasy matters here too, even up into the climax!

This is a reaction I think most fans of  Daihachi will be familiar with, but since the film keeps you on edge throughout the entire run, the ending does feel a bit weak as a result.
Perhaps it’s because the theme of “how will society accept former convicts” is so much at the forefront of the story, but I found myself thinking it might have been better to go a little more colorful with the fantasy-esque parts. (In his last work,“A Beautiful  Star”, the fantasy wasn’t over-the-top gaudy, but it was quite impressive.)

Despite that minor complaint, I can say with certainty that it is just the kind of guaranteed quality you come to expect from a Daihachi production.
Great actors too!
Regarding the Yuka-san I mentioned before, I think you’ll all be very surprised with her. I highly recommend anyone interested go see the film.
And the protagonist, played by Nishikido-san, has managed to tone down his popstar aura and really does blend in well as a civil servant!
The, well, let’s say “surreal” performances of the murderers is also something that left a deep impression!

Next time, I think I’d like to write about “Tremble All You Want”.

（tomocarl）