As the opening title cards of Toshihiko Tanaka’s Rei (莉の対, Rei no Tsui) somewhat paradoxically explain, Rei is a kanji character that has no real meaning on its own but can gain it by joining with another kanji as it has in the name of the heroine, Hikari, who does indeed feel herself to be “colourless” to the extent of being transparent. The implication seems to be that human connection is essential to fulfilment, but there’s precious little empathy on show between the disparate and isolated protagonists.
A mild stigmatisation of singledom is displayed in the opening sequence in which Hikari attends a play alone and seems embarrassed by her unattached status while catching up with old university friend Asami who has since married and had a daughter. Yet it quickly becomes apparent that Asami is struggling as a young mother to a disabled child left largely without support while unbeknownst to her, her husband Ko has been having an affair with a young nurse. The implication seems to be partly that Ko resents his daughter Hina for not living up to his ideals or those of his rather snooty mother who seems to think Hina is an embarrassment to their family. We’re not exactly told what Hina’s disability is save that it involves some degree of learning difficulties and the doctor advises it would be better to put her down for a special school, but are instead uncomfortably focussed on the burden of her care which falls entirely on Asami.
The film then equates Hina’s condition with that of Masato, a photographer who happens to be deaf who had a troubled relationship with his mother while his brother hints that he may also have had some kind of mental disturbance that has left him fragile, too delicate for city life and instead living amid the peaceful mountain vistas of Hokkaido. In an effort to communicate with him, Hikari begins learning sign language only to discover he doesn’t know it but prefers to communicate through written language. Hikari finds herself caught between these different kinds of communication, at once walking with a dejected stage actor who insists words are essential and liberated by the their absence in her tentative relationship with Masato. Nevertheless, there is perhaps a degree of projection going on given that Masato cannot hear what she’s saying and directly respond to it allowing Hikari to interpret her own responses.
Masato’s estranged brother later suggests that Masato may be able to hear at least a little but pretends not to because it’s easier that way. In any case, he given little right of reply while others seem to make decisions on his behalf denying him any kind of agency. His friend, Shinya, tells Hikari to back off, that Masato is too fragile for relationships and she’s just making things hard for him though it seems clear to us that Shinya is in love with him himself and carrying a degree of shame for his repressed sexuality. Shame and a sense of inferiority also seem to be at the heart of Ko’s infidelity revealing to his lover that he feels he has to work twice as hard as anyone else just to get average results and be scolded by his boss. It’s clear that he has already begun to pull away from his family, resenting his wife and daughter for deepening his sense of personal failure while the lover, Rie, ironically presents a more progressive counter to Asami’s dilemma in telephoning her mother to say she plans to have a child and raise it alone in a society in which births outside of marriage are still rare.
No one really connects with anyone else nor are they fulfilled by their connections. Hikari’s relationship with Masato is frustrated by those who either infantilise him or act out of self interest but given the dark path he eventually takes they might have has a point in saying that love was too much complication though Hikari’s determination to reconnect may seem odd given the circumstances. Over long and meandering, the narrative progression cannot help but seem contrived in a manner out of keeping with the otherwise naturalistic treatment even before it rockets into the melodrama of its second half or the meta subplot with the dejected actor. Even so there is something poignant in the beauty of the Hokkaido landscapes and their endless vistas of snowbound isolation tempered by the gently bending trees.
Rei screened as part of this year’s JAPAN CUTS.
International trailer (English subtitles)
Windows on Worlds 