"Tony Takitani": Delicately drawn tale of loneliness
"Tony Takitani" is like a cultivated orchid, the delicate product of careful attention and an appreciation for fleeting beauty. At a mere 76 minutes, it's the kind of film that can slip by, unnoticed and misunderstood, if you're not precisely tuned to its wavelength. Get there, and you'll be captivated. If you're even slightly off, or if your mood is not receptive, you'll miss something special.
"Tony Takitani," with Issey Ogata, Miyazawa Rie. Directed and written by Jun Ichikawa, based on a short story by Haruki Murakami. 76 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. Not rated; suitable for general audiences. Varsity, through Thursday.
Adapted from a short story by Haruki Murakami published in The New Yorker in 2002, Jun Ichikawa's faithful rendition is a wispy, wistful portrait of loneliness. The title character, played by Issey Ogata, is a technical illustrator who emerges from a lifetime of solitude when he meets Eiko (Miyazawa Rie), a beautiful woman who's 15 years younger. Their subsequent marriage is perfect, with one major glitch: Eiko compulsively shops for designer clothing. Tragedy results when Tony asks her to resist her shopaholic habit.
Tony tries to console himself by hiring an assistant (also played by Rie) who will fit Eiko's wardrobe. As presented by director Ichikawa (who curiously allows his actors to finish portions of the film's voice-over narration), Tony's request seems more hopeful than merely sad or eccentric, and, with a lulling, minimalist piano score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Tony Takitani" arrives at a place of unexpected symmetry and serenity.
In this melancholy tale of a solitary man, Ichikawa adds a grace note of optimism without compromising the sting of loss at the core of the story.
Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net