The roots of Toshio Matsumoto’s cinema

As I mentioned before, the Kim Hiro incident and particularly the way it was covered by the media, inspired a number of filmmakers to explore new cinematic methods that would examine the concepts of timeliness and actuality in cinema and the connection between documentary and fiction. Toshio Matsumoto, in a precursor to his feature debut, “Funeral Parade of Roses” came up with a 15-minute short which was presented through three projectors running different images at different speeds simultaneously, in an effort to mimic the visual layout of the newspaper, in a frame split in two that features completely different images.

Among the many images presented in frantic speed here, we have various of Kim Hiro, as the one with his portrait on the left side and newspapers on the right, which is held by an individual taking part in a street performance. Continuing this segment of the film, in which passerby watch several men dressed in business attire being tied in columns, the second screen shows a rapid montage of television ads, photographs of the war in Vietnam, the riot police and the television footage of Kim’s hostage crisis, in an effort, as we mentioned in the prologue, to mimic the visual layout of a newspaper.

In an overall dizzying and delirious montage that permeates the whole film, along with noisy music and occasional voices heard throughout,
Matsumoto presents a number of images that seem to have little connection with each other. A number of those involve people dancing at dark clubs under the sounds of American music, as in the case of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”. Photos of nudity and undeskirt shots are juxtaposed with people reading newspapers on the street, close ups of women smoking, while the aforementioned performance takes a significant part of mostly the right part of the screen. The majority of images are in black and white, but occasionally splashes of color do appear, as do letters on screen that pass with thundering speed.

The sound in general seems to follow the same chaotic approach, very rarely having anything to do with what is showing on screen. At times there is also reporting in English, which, is though, juxtaposed with Japanese talking, making quite difficult to discern. Comic strips also appear throughout, mostly of erotic connotations. A woman getting dressed takes a large part of the movie (considering) and is frequently combined with footage of the riot police clashing with students. Repeated images of a malformed embryos also appear repeatedly, with the repetition of images actually being part of the narrative.

Through this rather experimental and unique for the era approach, Matsumoto tries to capture the sensation and actuality of the rather tumultuous 1968, through a mosaic that also resembles that TV format, in the way spectacle and news are combined through it. At the same time, the fact that there is no coherence or any concept of narrative, makes the movie quite difficult to watch. That the whole thing is directly connected with the then topicality of the country adds to this sense. However, the value of “For the Damaged Right Eye” lies in the presentation of the roots of where Matsumoto’s work in cinema begun and how a “trend” that also involved Nagisa Oshima among others started, as much as a style of experimental cinema that is actually prevalent even today, even if in ‘calmer’ approaches.

I had the opportunity to watch a preview of the movie “Unsung Hero” recently. As the movie unfolded, I realized I was watching another family tell a story like my own.

“Unsung Hero” documents the true adventures of David and Helen Smallbone — the parents of Christian music singer Rebecca St. James and Luke and Joel Smallbone from For King & Country. In the early 1990s, David owned a successful music company in Australia until an underperforming tour put him out of business. They lost everything they owned. They moved halfway across the world to Nashville with their six children (and one on the way!) for a new job that never materialized. The movie tells what happened next.

While we don’t work in the music business, Rich and I are creative professionals who spent 20 years building and running a fine art photo lab in California. Our business began in 1997 from a plywood desk in a spare bedroom of our house in Yosemite Valley (we worked at The Ansel Adams Gallery at the time). For its lifetime, we employed dozens and dozens of employees and shipped hundreds of thousands of prints to people across the nation. The prints we made continue to hang in some of the most prestigious galleries and photo collections in the world, including the Smithsonian.

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We poured our life into building that business, and it sustained us and our little family (and many others) for many years — until it didn’t. Our business went from the highest sales ever in 2015 to closing its doors in March 2017. The market changed, and it happened fast and decisively. There was no way to downsize quickly enough. Everything we invested our time, money, and effort in was systematically cataloged, valued, and sold.

In July 2017, we found ourselves in Nashville with three kids, two cats, two fish, and no job.  How does someone start over in their mid-40s? What do you put on a resume when you’ve spent 20 years working for yourselves in a niche, creative industry? I had a blog when we moved to Tennessee, and it contains accounts of God’s consistent provision through those first few difficult years — including my first job in Nashville and my current job as a writer and editor for our church’s media ministry.

Seven years later, I can see many reasons why God moved each member of our family to Tennessee. But it’s been hard in so many ways. That’s where “Unsung Hero” resonated with me. It perfectly captured the essence of what it is like to have everything of monetary value stripped away from your life and to be left with three things: God, your relationships, and your skills.

It portrayed what it looks like for God’s provision to come from unexpected sources, again, and again, and again.

It captured the feeling of failure and its determination to diminish any sense of hope; the internal battle between despair and perseverance.

It showed the best parts of people — those who stepped in at just the right time to provide encouragement, the necessities, and sometimes even more. And it portrayed the worst parts of people — those who judged, didn’t understand, excluded, or were simply no longer interested in being friendly (let alone friends).

It portrayed what it was like to be a mom navigating extremely challenging circumstances, persevering with as much cheer as possible, for the sake of her family and her children.

It showed parents failing and asking for forgiveness, and what it’s like to be a child, caught up in a significant and difficult family transition.

It captured what it’s like to be married to a creative and adventurous person, and how God will give that couple a path that looks different than traditional routes. Not many people will understand it. Those who do are priceless.

Beyond my own reaction to “Unsung Hero,” the cheers and tears in the audience around me showed the movie has truths to offer everyone:  family matters; God provides; God answers prayers; when you fall, do your best to get up; if you see someone fall, help them to stand; persevere; and faith wins!

But my favorite moment happened after the movie. In the lobby of the church, we found large pieces of glossy paper that had the words “Please” printed on the left and “Thank You” on the right. It came with a stack of Post-it notes. When you need God to answer a prayer, you put a post-it note with your prayer in the “Please” column. The “Thank You” section is for answered prayers.

When we arrived home, my 10-year-old son posted the paper on our kitchen wall and sat with the Post-it pad for a bit. After he went to bed, I saw he left a note: “Thank you, God, for providing everything we need. Amen.”

It’s easy to look at our lives and see places where we don’t seem to measure up. It took my 10-year-old to remind me we have everything we need. God is faithful.

I highly recommend going to see “Unsung Hero,” particularly on opening weekend, which is April 26 to 28. With all the trashy content being made by Hollywood, this is the time to vote with your presence in the movie theaters. There are so many amazing God stories for Christian movie producers to tell. Let’s support their efforts so God will be glorified, once again, at the movies.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and so is evil! In Civil War, A24’s latest movie release, Lee, a wartime photographer, played phenomenally by Kirsten Dunst, struggles with the impact she has had in her lifetime of documenting extreme violence. Cailee Spaeny plays the role of Jessie, an innocent and eager doe eyed youth, who looks up to Lee and fenangles her way into Lee’s current mission. While Lee tries to discourage Jessie from this lifestyle, Lee’s partner Joel, played by Wagner Moura, encourages young Jessie, while reminding Lee that she was just as young when she started. Joel is thrilled and hungry for violence, wanting to get closer and see more at all times, but despite his eager attitude as the film goes on, no one, including him will be unaffected by the grim reality of what violence will do. 

Lee is challenged through Jessies character to wonder if her work has done what she thought in creating awareness that will lead to prevention, or if she has inadvertently helped glamorize the terror and enraged a new generation of adrenaline fueled youth like Jessie to go raging into battle. Writer and director Alex Garland brilliantly created this film as simultaneously a highly entertaining, action packed thriller and a thought provoking, introspective, look at the role of journalism that is sure to leave audiences pondering its themes for days to come.

Through the film‘s trailer, one would think that the audience would get a story on the war itself, what caused it and where things are headed, however the film focuses instead on the journalist covering the war. While some have critiqued the film for not diving into politics or taking a side, it was an unusual choice for Garland to diverge from common war narratives and instead focus on media and the moral responsibilities and dilemmas of the press. This debacle of ethical journalism is very relevant in modern times where so many Americans are debating about fake news and what outlets can be trusted. The audience has to wonder if being neutral is possible and what is the responsibility of the media. Perception makes it impossible for Lee to achieve her goals because no matter what side she may be on, the whole world will get to judge and interpret her work, ultimately drawing their own conclusion. It is a rare beauty for a film to pack so much duality into one, while remaining wildly entertaining. All of this makes Civil War a must see movie that resonates long after the credits roll.