Tokyo Park

Directed by Shinji Aoyama (青山 真治), 2011, 119 minutes.

Review by Susan Meehan

Tokyo Park, based on a novel by Shoji Yukiya [小路幸也], opens with university student and aspiring photographer Koji, played by rising heart-throb Haruma Miura (三浦 春馬), taking photos in a Tokyo park. He directs his lens towards a beautiful woman pushing a pram (played by Haruka Igawa [井川遥]) and, unable to ignore her, snaps away. There is just enough time to instinctively flinch at this breach of privacy before Koji is confronted by Takashi Matsushima, played by Hiroshi Takahashi [高橋洋]. Matsushima chastises carefree Koji for taking photos without permission, but proceeds to call him the next day asking him to tail the woman and baby who pick a different park to walk in each day. This assignment is to become Koji’s day job; he is to take photographs and email them to Matsushima on a daily basis.

Following Koji in pursuit of his photographic targets who continue to chastely keep to themselves, it is easy to wonder whether Koji is falling in love with the mother and whether that is what Matsushima had intended from the start – playing the victim and further adding to his jealousy and angst. Koji seems to enjoy and pursue the project as something more than just a job.

Love and isolation are central to the film and are often talked about by Koji with his goofy friend Miyu, beautifully acted by Nana Eikura [榮倉 奈々], by far the film’s most engaging character. As well as hobbling around on crutches, uninjured but practising how to use crutches should she ever need to use them, she generally amuses Koji with her zaniness. Deep down, however, she cannot get over the loss of her boyfriend and Koji’s best friend, Hiro (Shota Sometani –染谷 将太) or can she?

At the jazz bar where Koji works in the evenings we also encounter his beautiful sister Misaki, dextrously played by Manami Konishi [小西真奈美]. Misaki, who has always looked out for her adorable brother who is nine years younger, turns out to be his step-sister. She also, it transcends, has unresolved feelings for him.

While Koji continues his spiral tour of Tokyo parks, he gradually becomes aware of the need to sort out some of his own sentimental affairs. The assignment is, in many ways, a kind of maze which Koji successfully navigates, ably finding the end point.

It is at this juncture that Koji phones Matsushima to quit his assignment and resolves his affairs much to the viewers’ delight.

All in all, this is a light and enjoyable film with plenty of zany and metaphysical moments and a good jazz sound score to boot.

This film was shown at the Premiere Japan 2011 event at the Barbican and was preceded by an original short films by students from the University of the Arts London. All films in Premiere Japan 2011 were preceded by original short films by students from the University of the Arts London. Unfortunately I only watched the first one, “A Day in Regent’s Place Museum” by Ami Kanki in its entirety. It is light, funny and superb playfully showing how people interact with the structures near Regent’s Place. A fountain and an Antony Gormley statue feature.