The Sower

I can't say I'm much of an art critic. In fact, I know very little. What I can tell you though is that Vincent van Gogh painted various pictures of sunflowers, a man sowing seeds in a field and looked a bit strange to the rest of society - all knowledge I mainly picked up from Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams". One man who does know a bit more about the man, however, is artist - and now director - Yosuke Takeuchi. So much so, that's he's made a film in tribute to the man: "The Sower".

Mitsuo (Kentaro Kishi) has returned home after some time in hospital following the stresses of his time as a relief worker after 2011's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. He tries to acclimatise himself back into the real world by spending time with his brother Yuta (Tomomitsu Adachi) and his young family. Yuta's youngest daughter Itsuki (Ichika Takeuchi) has Down's Syndrome, and so when Mitsuo offers to look after the girls while the parents go about their business, Yuta's wife Yoko (Arisa Nakajima) is keen for elder daughter Chie (Suzuno Takenaka) to keep a close eye on her sister.

But tragedy strikes and an accident while Mitsuo is in the toilet leaves Itsuki on the floor and Mitsuo running for help. At the hospital, Chie tells her mother that Mitsuo dropped Itsuki - something we know to be a lie. A quiet loaner, Mitsuo doesn't argue the claims, regressing inside himself; his previous social status only adding to the validity of Chie's claims.

But the damage is done. Itsuki now dead, the family begins to disintegrate, becoming a group of individuals. Chie's guilt builds as Mitsuo is further pushed to society's fringes, seeking solace in the sowing of sunflower seeds; the flowers he enjoyed with Chie and Itsuki.

Takeuchi's debut feature film is slow in its pacing. The subject matter perhaps befits this sombre approach: the death of a child, lies, the nature of justice and the stigma of disability and mental health. The tension builds and the story comes to life when Chie's guilt starts to become apparent; feeling an outcast because of her lies, breaking up the family in the process. "The Sower" looks internally at its two leads in Chie and Mitsuo and how both cope as survivors of the situation.

The lack of music is notable, with the sound of silence allowing for the mind to lament along with the characters. There are no floods of tears, more a numb silence; people walking away from arguments rather than face the reality. Takeuchi also leaves many things unseen, though we are fully aware as to what is happening before us, the handling of the tragic incident played in cuts, the full picture only revealed alongside the false police reconstruction.

In the eyes of the legal system in Japan, Mitsuo provides the perfect solution for the case. A former psychiatric patient, alienated from society and now his family, he is a natural scapegoat. Chie's guilt sees her eventually reveal the truth to her mother. But, playing the role of Japanese society, Yoko insists that Chie sticks to the original story, seemingly unconcerned as to what actually happened, revealing her true feelings towards both her brother-in-law and perhaps even her own daughter. Yoko's mother tars the family with the same brush, claiming she should never have married Yuta with his seemingly "cursed" family.

Though perhaps Mitsuo is the only sane one featured in "The Sower". Everyone is seemingly living a lie, throwing accusations at others to hide their own guilt. Yoko is sure her brother-in-law is guilty by type, and does little to change this when discovering the truth; accusing Yuta of never caring for their daughter, while more obsessed with proportioning blame than mourning herself. Yuta meanwhile is fairly silent on the matter, showing little emotion, continuing with life, stating his brother is innocent, but pushing him away at the same time. Chie also has to come to terms with the fact that she is a liar and has caused the breakdown of the family, Yoko leaving to live with her mother, leaving three individuals after a family of four.

Chie learns some harsh lessons, seeing how tragedy brings out the worst in people. But in her uncle, she can see the best in people. His appreciation of sunflowers and sowing their seeds to give forth new life sees her follow him in awe: the man she has let take the blame, but who continues to try and do good.

Looking like van Gogh's image of "The Sower" himself, Mitsuo animates the painting, recreating its "movements." Little is said directly of his past; only the negative aspects. Similarly, the backdrop of the tsunami-hit region is also only alluded to at the film's beginning and conclusion, and so doesn't dominate the film. A former volunteer, his sowing of seeds sees him try to help rebuild and grow the devastated region.

A personal film, based on his fondness for van Gogh as an artist and featuring his own niece in the role of Itsuki, Takeuchi has created a strong debut feature, weaving a number of themes and ideas together, with a subtlety that befits its subject matter. As the film's concluding shots reveal, much like van Gogh, it's the wilted sunflowers that stand-out for Takeuchi.