FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE SEA IS WATCHING
It’s dusk, and prostitutes, in their colorful and decorative kimonos, are
dragging men off the street,
promising them a good time. Once its dark, a young samurai
(Yoshioka) on the lam rushes into a bordello. The young and hopeful O-Shin
(Tohno) hides
him in her room as a constable searches the house. After
escaping, disguised by O-Shin, Fusanosuke returns, becoming a regular
customer. But the older and resigned Kikuno (Shimizu) warns O-Shin about
their
clients, “Even if they fall in
love with you, you don’t fall in love with them and you always make sure
yout get paid.”
Nevertheless, she and the other women in the brothel hope that O-Shin will
in fact marry into a
higher caste. Although the plot revolves around O-Shin, the heart and soul
of
the film
belongs to Kikuno. The film’s portrayal of female
camaderie is
not unlike the one in Unforgiven, and the Japanese world of pre-1868 is
beautifully
captured in their graceful moments and daily rituals. The melodic score,
though, is a bit jarring because of an anachronistic trumpet solo.
And O-Shin’s character is less than riveting. In the exciting climax,
filmed
during an actual hurricane,
she’s shrill and her waterworks compete with the rain. However, when the
more determined Kikuno
becomes the focus of the film, this sentimental tale of redemption is
likewise redeemed. KT
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