Showing posts with label cocco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocco. Show all posts

7 October 2012

Kotoko DVD Review

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Mental Illness is no laughing matter nor should it be something we should ignore either and it comes in all shapes and sizes but most of all it can affect us all. We sometimes think we understand the illness or selfishly think we have all the answers to curing the illness, in Shinya Tsukamoto's Kotoko it never tries to answer but instead shows the illness from the person we sometimes forget about from the perspective of the sufferer.

Kotoko (folk singer Cocco) is a young single mother who lives alone with her young infant son.Suffering from an unknown illness that makes her see things double especially people making things difficult for Kotoko impossible to know which person is really leading her to violently lash out. With things getting harder for her in the daily grind her day to day chores become harder making her a liability not just for herself but also her young son. Her son is taken into care (looked after by her sister) Kotoko is now on her own her frame of mind and broken  is fragile her thoughts are dangerously scattered which makes it scary for all who share her life.

From the minute Kotoko starts we're thrown right into the chaos, the anguish of the film's protagonist which sets the tone for the rest of the film. At no point of the film does it attempt to figure out why Kotoko's mental state is what it is but taking us right into her mind giving us a voyeuristic  look at the horror from the eyes of the sufferer herself. What really annoyed me with this film was the use of 'horror' not from the film itself but from some of the reviews I read some calling Kotoko a horror or J-Horror which this is the film is not. This is not a film of mythical creatures or found footage malarkey, this one does have demons but the inner demons of psychological proportions.

Kotoko will hit you in the spot that will hurt you the most. It's a visceral, raw intense nightmarish journey which will leave uncomfortable, disorientating but will leave you with an everlasting reminder that people with this illness are human beings and their pain is their cry for help.

One of the success' of the film is the central performance of it's lead actress, Cocco. I've always been a little sceptical of films which have non-actors (sports, musicians) been picked especially in lead roles as sadly majority of the time history has shown it's ended in disappointment. There has always been a few exceptions like Cocco and on the level of her début acting role  in Kotoko has been nothing but incredible. Cocco really goes all out with a performance that really connects with you, it's intimate but also very claustrophobic , truly cathartic all thanks her drawing on her own real life personal experience making this one work.

Cocco her self-suffered from mental illness/ self-harm when she was younger though we never really know if it was intentional to use her in the role thanks to that dreadful part of her life it does give Kotoko a real genuine touch. As I said earlier the film never really delves into what triggered her suffering however when you watch the film you do get small glimpses what they might be with a lack of a father figure in her life (her own parents divorced when she was younger) which could be also the reason why there's no father figure in her own son's life either. Could the male population be the main reason, was she raped? Whatever you think the men who have entered her life including that good Samaritans  don't get a good ride here. What's really touching about this film as well as being an inaugural part is Cocco's singing within the film which gives Kotoko moments of escapism from her inner demons. As well as providing the film's score (like she did for the directors 2004 film  Vital) the music really adapts into film naturally reminding me of Bjork in Lars Von Trier's Dancer Of The Dark giving the film a sense of tranquillity among the madness.

Kotoko is a beautifully well-crafted film which will pull at your heartstrings as well as make it uncomfortable to watch but to appreciate the pain a sufferer has to go through we sometimes have to go to places we don't want to go to. There's a great David Bowie song called Fantastic Voyage which really sums this film up listen to it  read the lyrics as it reminds us this illness affects us all, there's no stereotypical profile of a sufferer just a stark reminder when the mind body and soul are fragile the world around us can be the most terrifying place to be in.

Paul Devine |★★★★

Drama, Horror | Japan, 2011 | 18 | 8th October 2012 (UK) | Third Window Films | Dir:Shin'ya Tsukamoto |Shin'ya Tsukamoto,Cocco |Buy Kotoko:DVD/Blu-ray

2 July 2012

EIFF 2012:Kotoko Review

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★★1/2☆☆


Japanese director and actor, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, latest project Kotoko sees him team up with folk rock artist, Cocco for disturbing horror drama, Kotoko. 
Tsukamoto's film follows a woman, Kotoko, balancing life as a single mother, alongside her threatening mental problems. Gradually, the boundaries between what is real and what is simply a product of her dark imagination, begin to blur.

Shin'ya Tsukamoto is on top form visually, dragging us into Kotoko's harrowing nightmare world filled with twisted double vision and hallucinations of the dangers that could affect her child. Kotoko's disturbing apparitions are particularly difficult to watch - seeing the mentally unstable mother standing on a rooftop, slowly loosening her grip of her baby, is completely unsettling. This combined with Kotoko's high pitched, shrill screams, builds up an a chilling atmosphere throughout.

Kotoko does become rather tedious, simply overstaying its welcome (even at a relatively short 91 minutes). Pacing slows down after the introduction of Kotoko's stalker, turned boyfriend - Seitaro Tanaka (played by Tsukamoto) - and they say true love is dead. The relationship between the pair feels particularly unconvincing - Kotoko takes out her violent rage on her boyfriend, at one point completely destroying his face, yet he is still infatuated by her. 

Praise must go to Cocco's raw and brutal performance, the singer completely dedicates herself to this part - mentally and physically. Several scenes of Kotoko self-harming appear so realistic, one may finding oneself questioning their perception of what is real and what is fiction. Unfortunately, Tsukamoto makes no effort to help the viewer show any empathy towards Kotoko - with no attempt made to understand her mental illness. We are simply shown her outrageous behaviour and left to regard her as a lunatic. Tsukamoto's supporting turn, which is supposed to add comic relief does not gel with the darkly intense subject matter - resulting in the role simply feeling off-key and incomprehensible. 


The strength in Tsukamoto's film comes from his rich visual design. One notable sequence prior to Kotoko's conclusion shows the title-characters' son's toys come to life, in a fusion of bright colours and outstanding visuals.

Kotoko is a harrowing piece of cinema, that unfortunately overstays its welcome. Despite a fascinating and dedicated performance from Cocco and some extraordinary visual design, Kotoko becomes tedious and relentlessly nasty, making no attempt to discuss mental illness in a sympathetic light. 


Andrew McArthur


Stars: Cocco, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Release: 24th September 2012 (UK DVD)
Pre-Order/Buy:Kotoko On Blu-ray / On DVD

Kotoko (Shinya Tsukamoto, Japan - 2011) UK trailer Published via LongTail.tv