Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)
Tatsumi (2011)
Genre: Animated, Biography, Drama
Director: Eric Khoo
Starring: Tetsuya Bessho, Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Language: Japanese
Duration: 98 min.
Rating: 6.8
Summary:
A film based on the life and short stories of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, an artist known for his gekiga style of alternate Japanese manga.
Tatsumi is an animated film directed by Eric Khoo, based on the stories and memoirs of Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and was Singapore's official submission to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film follows Tatsumi's career, from post-war Japan as a young boy idolizing and emulating his favorite artists, to the present day where he is now known as one of the most influential figures of the gekiga style of manga. A style characterized by dramatic stories with serious themes, aimed at a mature audience. Mixed in between the chapters of Tatsumi's life, are fictional short pieces adapted from some of his most popular works.

It's certainly a visually arresting work. One that pays great tribute to the artist (Tatsumi provides voiceover for the autobiographical sections of the film) and also brings his stories to cinematic life through simple yet evocative animation that fully captures his artistic style. While the short stories themselves, have a dark edginess to them, dealing with adult themes in an unsentimental and uncompromising manner.

Although they are individually quite fascinating, the problem is these stories don't really fit together. Which would be fine if this was an anthology, but the way they randomly alternate with the biographical parts, makes for a narrative without proper flow. The result is a fractured film that may keep our interest, and surely gives us a competent overview of the man and his career, but in the end doesn't quite feel whole.
Bonjour Tristesse
Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

Tatsumi (2011)

6 comments:

Ruth Richards said...

It looks quite beautiful. I've not heard of this one before, but it seems worth at least one watch. Lovely review!

FrontRoomCinema said...

I agree it looks stunning but I have not really ever got into this type of film. Thanks for the great review as ever BT

d_4 said...

It looks like it could help me pass the time but I won't be looking for it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I think fans of manga will get more out of it, but it is still an interesting watch. The animation style is very well done.

Good to see you around again Ruth.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

By this type of film do you mean the style of animation, or biographies?

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I understand.

Post a Comment