Hana-Bi
Shown: 8 January 2001
Japan 1997 (subtitles)
103 minutes
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Leading players - 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi
Synopsis
Detective Nishi (Kitano) is bitter when he learns that his wife Miyuki (Kishimoto) is terminally ill and his partner Horibe (Osugi) was shot and now confined to a wheelchair. Horibe wants to become a painter, but doesn't have money for that. To help him, Nishi borrows money from yakuza. After that he buys an old car, paints it as a police car and, dressed in uniform, single-handedly robs a bank.
In the US, this film was released as Fireworks, the literal translation. Hana-bi also separates into its constituent parts, 'hana' (flower) and 'bi' (fire). This dual meaning of the title is an immediate example of the difference between US and Japanese film culture. If this were a Hollywood film, we would have been treated to assorted action scenes, no doubt with explosions and flying bullets galore and an excess of punchy dialogue.
The Japanese are renowned for being a people of few words, and the characters here are no exception. The dialogue in Hana-Bi is sparse, but the film is no less gripping and the emotions no less distinct for this. Quite often, what is not said is more important than what is said; there is an unspoken dialogue between the characters with which Kitano teases us, drawing out the backgrounds of the characters little by little. With such a subtle script, much of the burden of narrative is placed on the camerawork, editing and music, which contribute greatly to the film's thoughtfu1, melancholy tone.
Do not miss this film!
