The Discarnates (1988)
"Ijin-tachi to no natsu" (original title)

Harada is a successful scenario writer, and his best buddy has just announced an intention to propose to Harada's ex-wife. Recovering from the shock, Harada indulges in melancholy, mainly ... See full summary »

Director:

Nobuhiko Ôbayashi

Writers:

Taichi Yamada (novel), Shin'ichi Ichikawa (screenplay)

Stars:

Morio Kazama, Tsurutarô Kataoka, Kumiko Akiyoshi

13 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Morio Kazama	...	Hidemi Harada
Tsurutarô Kataoka	...	Hidekichi Harada, Father
Kumiko Akiyoshi	...	Fusako Harada, Mother
Yûko Natori	...	Kei Fujino
Toshiyuki Nagashima	...	Ichiro Mamiya
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nao Asuka
Bengaru	...	Taxi Driver
Ippei Hara
Yasufumi Hayashi	...	Shigeki Harada
Eiko Hikari
Ishirô Honda
Wakaba Irie	...	Ayako Imamura (voice)
Kenjirô Ishimaru
Jun Kajima
Yonemaru Katsura	...	'Rakugo' performer

Storyline

Harada is a successful scenario writer, and his best buddy has just announced an intention to propose to Harada's ex-wife. Recovering from the shock, Harada indulges in melancholy, mainly on his failure as a husband and father, and goes to a 'Rakugo' (sit-down comedy) show, where a friendly man in the audience invites him home. Harada is puzzled at the strong resemblance of this man and his wife to his own parents, who were killed nearly 30 years ago when he was twelve. He visits the couple repeatedly, and greatly enjoys the happy atmosphere there, which was much like his childhood, and such a contrast to his current existence, which is lonely and tortured. But he is no longer alone. The same night his buddy confessed, Harada was visited by Kei, a beautiful woman from the third floor, who is also the only other occupant of their apartment building. She offers champagne and company. Furious with women, he rudely rebuffs her, but she persists, and he later invites her in. That they ...

---

Plot Keywords:

doggystyle sex | card game | death of parents | television writer | suicide | 

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery

---

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 September 1988 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Discarnates

Filming Locations:

Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shochiku Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Karumen kokyo ni kaeru (1951)

---

Soundtracks

"O mio babbino caro"
by Giacomo Puccini

User Reviews

To Reach a High Shelf

Natsu up there in the original title = summer, while ijin probably means foreigner in the sense not at all of Westerner, but rather of outsider. Depending on the kanji, there might be a hint also, though it would have to be sarcastic and I'm not sure exactly who about, of mastermind, great man. I'm thinking of Harada's parents or himself as the target, but don't know whether that kind of pun/allusion goes in the language. I sincerely hope ijin isn't used for "zombies" as in the secondary English title here, but even if it is, there must be at least hints of other meanings.

So, here's a film nearly as awkward as the unfortunate English translations of its title. It has three supremely interesting characters, none of them the bland protagonist.

Yuko Natori's Kei, Harada's only nighttime neighbor in a large building of mostly offices, bursts through his door one night, clearly vulnerable, alone, feeling the emptiness of the building, perhaps suffering from drink but clearly damaged somehow beyond that. Though barely a sketch, and a bit older, she suggests the legion of slightly off young women who hound Haruki Murakami's protagonists. When dull Harada gently slams the door in her face, viewers can't help but feel a loss. Later of course, there's the quirk about her front: no face to face love-making. The mystery wrought by her ever-present clothing, in combination with her aggressiveness, creates a fine-toned sensuality.

Hardly less sensual is Fusako, Harada's mother. Introduced after Kei, perhaps as lonely as Kei but in a different sense, roughly the same age as Harada and Kei, her aggressive doting on her son startles at first. She seems a counterpoint, a reflection, even a rival of Kei. I think early on, sweltering in the heat of the title's summertime, she was wearing just a slip. At one point she climbs onto Harada's back to reach a high shelf and falls into his arms. This moment takes a brief eternity to pass.

The third finely turned character is Harada's father, Hidekichi. Somehow -- and no doubt the lighting, ambient sound, and cramped yet expansive bustling street set help -- he embodies an innocence that the film's creators have chosen to give to his times. Bare-armed, swaggering, lethargically energetic, oozing a hospitality that's actually quite cunning but appears naive, he could be any child's workingman father or any "Postman Rings Twice" film's husband. Even though there's little or nothing of the cliché cuckold plot here, without him the two fleetingly sublime women characters wouldn't resonate as they do.