Distance

Before his more mainstream success, kick-started by 2004's "Nobody Knows", Kore-eda Hirokazu was a documentarian who branched out into an interesting brand of cinema with slow pacing, mood lighting and naturalistic acting. His documentary experience had been put to use, with the use of long takes, improvised dialogue and even clips from previously filmed interviews.

Starting with the mournful "Maborosi", followed-up with the inventive and thought-provoking "After Life", 2001's "Distance" is the third in his initial trio of films that are similar in style and unlike his subsequent films that would see him garner more mainstream recognition abroad.

Obviously based on the Aum cult and the Tokyo gas attack of 1995, the "Ark of Truth" cult attack three years previous on water supplies to the city left dozens dead. As an annual remembrance, four relatives of members of the cult meet and visit the lake where they were based, but the reasons for this act are unclear.

Having their transportation mysteriously stolen, they are left stranded out in the forest with no phone signal for help. It is here their party becomes five, as former cult member Sakata (Tadanobu Asano) - though he abandoned them before the attack - also finds his bike stolen and unable to get home.

He takes them to his former living quarters while he was with the cult to spend the night. Here they discuss their family members and Sakata's recollections of them and muse on how things came to be; before going their separate ways in the morning to meet "same time next year."

With the picnic, day out feel, the film is shot largely in a homemade style, with handheld cameras and grainy footage, adding to the sense of mystery and intrigue. These blurred images are contrasted with the more conventionally shot flashbacks that each of the five have as to their family members as they first started to realise they were members of a cult. Though these images' greater clarity do not make the picture any clearer for those left behind.

The interactions between the five are natural for a group that has little in common other than being relatives of cult members. Perhaps reflecting the fact that Kore-eda saw the film evolve and gave the cast members differing direction, forcing improvisation within the long takes, handled well by the cast of Asano, ARATA, Susumu Terajima, Yusuke Iseya and Yui Natsukawa. Indeed, the film is littered with shots of the five positioned together, but looking in various directions or visibly apart; distant from each other, as well as their loved ones. Though as a double-edged sword, the documentary nature of the filming and dialogue may frustrate some viewers, as he favours naturalism over entertainment.

Perhaps intentionally, much like "Maborosi" before it, there is no concluding answer, as the motivations behind such acts will forever be unexplained. Though if "Maborosi", as has been described, is a haiku, then "Distance" would perhaps be better as a novel: An exploration of mindset, but unable to deliver the rounded conclusions required in the cinematic form. Indeed Kore-eda went on to spend much of the time after making "Distance" writing. One almost feels that if you were to combine "Distance" with the interviews of "After Life" you would have something along the lines of Haruki Murakami's "Underground" on the Aum attacks.

Kore-eda offers something of an ending to a story, though it is one with open ends in-line with the rest of the film. Atsushi (ARATA), the supposed brother of one of the cult members with whom Sakata was close, may not be the man he claims. Some beautiful cinematography from Yutaka Yamazaki to close reveal he is perhaps the estranged son of the cult leader, a man to which the others will no doubt hold some contempt. But this only furthers any confusion that may already be present in a film that asks many questions.

Alongside "Hana" and "Air Doll", "Distance" is in the trio of Kore-eda films to gain most criticism, for being a slow and drudging watch with a lack of satisfying conclusion to justify it all. But with the naturalism, air of intrigue and lack of conclusion as an end in itself, "Distance" has strong elements of good filmmaking and it is wrong to call it a bad film, rather one requiring more form to satisfy a wider audience.

The Death of Stalin

"It's just fucking word play"

- Nikita Khrushchev

Armando Iannucci has spent much of his career predicting the political future: whether it's pre-empting overly bombastic news graphics with "The Day Today"; foretelling leadership changes within UK politics in "Time Trumpet"; and acting as a think-tank for any recent UK government with "The Thick of It". But probably bored of inadvertently directing the course of the UK, he now turns his art to the past. The Soviet past.

As you may know, popular Georgian Joseph Stalin died in the mid-Twentieth Century. Frenchmen Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin made a graphic novel about said event. Then a group of British writers turned it into a film script. We all know the routine. Finding the piss-soaked body the next morning, his supporting cast, made-up of names you've already forgotten from GCSE history confusedly debate what to do about the situation, choosing to work as a collective.

Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor) is appointed Acting General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, but real power is hidden behind him, as a power struggle emerges between Beria (Simon Russell Beale) and Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), as each try to manipulate the situation and get the support of the rest of the collective.

This leads to lots of typical Iannucci fast dialogue and improvised banter in the workplace, as each actor brings a unique personality to their historical figure, such as Paul Whitehouse's cockney Mikoyan, Rupert Friend's pissed public schoolboy Vasily Stalin and Adrian McLoughlin's dirty old man Stalin himself. As with the likes of "Blackadder" before it, comedy is a good way of re-teaching history, placing historical fact in an accessible format.

Buscemi's line as Khrushchev denotes the quick wit of the writers and cast, but also the very nature of politics and how it is all about what is said, and what is not said. Joking aside, the tricks become more underhanded and plotting more deceitful. To succeed, each must eliminate his opposition as quickly as possible; the more ruthless the better. Every act has a distinct purpose to it: to gain the upper hand. Though this being Soviet Russia, getting bumped-up the order on the news is not enough.

The end takes a sinister twist as each is exposed for their previous and present crimes, with the victor the one able to vilify the other fastest. This is handled by the cast in a day-at-the-office manner; a stoic nature born when making decisions affecting the lives and deaths of others.

While without the sinister undertones of endless death, today's political playground of every man for himself and acting before the next man still holds true. An observation on the basic human nature of power struggle and that all political hierarchies are doomed from the outset.

GCSE History: B

Every 14 Days...(40)

Bullet Points (Mark Watson)

Mark Watson is on something of a wave of popularity with his recent television appearances (which has probably since decreased since I wrote this). He himself has even acknowledged this and, milking his new-found fame, encouraged fans to read his books as well...except the first two. I was half-way through his first novel, "Bullet Points", when I read this comment. Enjoying it up to that point, I wasn't going to let the author's opinion get in the way of my interpretation of the book!

Peter Kristal is a British boy growing up in the fictional town of Witching, Cambridgeshire, forever in the shadow of his American best friend Richard. As they grow older together, both become interested in psychiatry, moving to the US to study at university; Richard, however, at a much more distinguished university.

Their careers both develop, one obviously behind the other, though Peter achieves some minor success for his "bullet points" technique for mapping-out his patients' lives in bullet point form to help solve their problems. But despite this success, there is always something looming over him, stopping him from reaching a point of satisfaction and happiness. This constant chasing results in his eventual demise, harming both himself and the lives of others.

For a debut novel written by a young man, "Bullet Points" is a solid effort. Written from Peter's point-of-view with self-deprecating humour throughout, this is a nice, flowing read, with some interesting points throughout.

As the story draws to a close, it does maybe get a little messy in places - perhaps why Watson is keen to point out that he was young when it was written - but not enough to detract from the overall read, showing a writer with craft and a knack for placing humour at the right moments.

Days to read: 12

Days per book: 15.2

The Last Wolf (Laszlo Krasznahorkai)

Being that the sentences in Krasznahorkai's novels are so long and rambling, short stories may be the best introduction for some readers to his works. These two shorts - separated by some twenty-three years; grouped due to their common warden theme - as such act as a good introduction for the novice, though are not as rewarding as the main body of his writing.

The more recent titular short, "The Last Wolf", concerns a German academic in Berlin, relaying a story of his recent trip to Spain to a Hungarian barman in a bar populated by Eastern Europeans and Turkish. Asked to write a piece on the region of Spain he is invited to, he instead gets distracted by the story of "last" wolves in the region and the local warden who monitored them.

The German's rambling tale is in-line with much of Krasznahorkai's work, though continued references and interjections by the Hungarian barman bring comedy to the tale. Though the real theme here is of the warden's relationship with the animals with whom he is put in the difficult position between protector and predator.

The older story, "Herman", is a more sombre tale, as a local warden, forced into retirement, takes revenge by roaming wild; setting traps on the people of the village that has deemed him surplus to requirements. A group of young officers arrive in the village and observe the mayhem as outsiders.

Being shorts, the two lack the depth of his novels; "Seiobo There Below" while a collection of shorts, combined form a greater whole when reading. As such, while the most accessible of his writing, these are not a good starting point to truly see his craft, feeling more of a stop-gap between greater works.

Days to read: 7

Days per book: 15.2

Botchan (Natsume Soseki)

"Botchan" is something of a popular work among Natsume Soseki's books. It is also slightly different in style to the other works I have read, though still sits very nicely within his oeuvre, following, as it does, the inner-workings of a young man's mind in a slightly different take in his exploration of the human condition.

Botchan, the child-like nickname for our hero, is a young graduate in Tokyo with little real direction as to what's next. Offered a role in a provincial school as a teacher on Shikoku, where Soseki himself once taught, he goes along with the offer, but is belligerent about the whole affair, finding little joy both at work or at home.

The narration is much more bumbling and colloquial than is typical from Soseki, reflecting the young, arrogant hero. His misguided nature sees him cause trouble for his work colleagues, and so eventually himself, but his belief that he is always right is where the comedy lies, and no doubt what gave it popularity, painting an interesting portrait of the young.

Perhaps lacking the depth and soul-searching  oh his other novels, "Botchan" shows some versatility; and that we all like a laugh.

Days to read: 10

Days per book: 15.1

A Light-hearted Look at Murder (Mark Watson)

The second of Mark Watson's first two novels, of which he is rather disparaging, "A Light-hearted Look at Murder" is an interesting tale involving a scenario you would believe came from the mind of a comedian; and continues the flowing writing and dotted moments of humour seen in his debut.

Alexandra is a woman in her mid-twenties, working in London in a job that holds little meaning for her, single and having to live with her "City boy" brother and his similarly male flatmate. Bored, she stumbles across an advert for pen-pals for prisoners and chooses to sign-up with nothing to lose. This is how she meets Andreas, her new German pen friend.

But getting little from him, he then sends her an extensive manuscript...in German. Luckily, flatmate Gareth knows some German (quite a lot, it would appear) and is happy to take time out from his busy schedule to translate it for her in convenient, chapter-sized chunks.

As she reads, we learn of Andreas' life from his days at Cambridge which resulted in his meeting and falling in love with the fifth tallest woman in Britain, becoming a Hitler impersonator and moving to London to start up a look-a-like agency, before life takes a more sinister turn.

Andreas' intriguing grasp of English makes for some comic writing from Watson, with his idiosyncratic mannerisms, though perhaps this starts to decline a little as the story develops (though I blame this largely on Gareth's translation). The switching between Alexandra's daily grind and Andreas' memoirs keeps the reader interested, though it is without doubt the German's half that brings the most amusement.

Alongside the moments of humour are some points of social comment, such as seeing the Berlin Wall as a tourist attraction in early Nineties Germany as strange, as well as the at times misguided nature of graduates in London.

As with "Bullet Points" things are perhaps a little loose at times, though again this is not enough of a distraction to spoil the overall enjoyment. I wonder if I'll enjoy one of his books that he actually recommends...

Days to read: 14

Days per book: 15.1

Piercing (Ryu Murakami)

"Piercing" is one of the Ryu Murakami books that I've put off reading for a while. Polishing off his other more well-known books in the West, I chose to leave this one on the shelf. And I can now see why I have.

Kawashima (good ol' River Island) watches over his daughter sleeping in her bed at night, gently stroking an ice pick across her cheek. While not wanting to, he feels compelled to use it on her. Wanting to satisfy this hunger for violent acts, he decides to take a break from work to stay in a hotel room in Tokyo and plot to finally use his ice pick on a young prostitute, and hopefully relieve himself of this desire.

The motivations within the premise are hard to get one's head round, and as such, Kawashima is not particularly a character to grow fond of. His meticulous planning puts him in a league with standard "psycho" characters, but with a lack of depth and simplistic writing - stating motivations, rather than allowing them to flow naturally - both Kawashima and his supposed victim are two characters you are quite happy to see slashed.

Days to read: 5

Days per book: 15.1