How
can Japan be some stoic in the face of rampaging kaiju monsters? They are just
used to it. If you have seen the Daimajin movies, you know this sort of thing
has gone on for centuries. You need not explain the kaiju phenomenon to this
particular weary married couple of traditional bunraku marionettes. They will
weather yet another attack in Lucas Leyva & Jillian Mayer’s short film Kaiju Bunraku, which screened during the
2017 Sundance Film Festival.
As
per custom dating back to the early 1800s, the puppeteers bringing life to K-B’s characters appear all in black,
with their faces hooded. They are performing on an actual stage, apparently
before a live audience, but the sets and costumes are so richly crafted, viewers
will immediately be transported into the bickering couple’s world. The man and
woman live in an unspecified time, presumably pre-Twentieth Century, except
they understand only too well the poisonous effects of the radiation released
on their environment from the constant kaiju assaults. Like Sisyphus, they ordinarily
just pick up the pieces of their lives and carry-on until the next kaiju barges
through. However, the man might finally reach his breaking point this time
around.
Although
fans will say it is not canonical, K-B arguably
represents the first Mothra film to make it to Sundance. Regardless, the film
is wickedly cool in conception and execution, staying true to the spirit of both
bunraku theater and Japanese kaiju cinema. The artistry of the Bunraku Bay
Puppet Theater is wonderfully refined and hugely entertaining. They really
bring out the emotional poignancy of the two characters.
No comments:
Post a Comment