Late Bloomer (2009) - By Josh Samford

Film Reviews: Late Bloomer (2009) - By Josh Samford
Posted on Wednesday, April 01, 2009 @ 21:28:48 Mountain Daylight Time by Duane

As someone who is pretty familiar with the Japanese cinema scene, it's always a real treat to run into a fresh filmmaker. One I am not familiar with and one who takes his craft seriously. So often in the Japanese film scene am I running across really great movies made by above average filmmakers. This is often due to the video culture in Japan where everything seems scripted out and low budget Straight to Video flicks are plentiful. Sometimes a good script slips through the system and into the market place, so even a bad director might have a shot at making something great. However, some filmmakers start with straight to video flicks and progress into their own projects due to their immense talent (Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa come to mind) and some are fortunate enough to start off with great films and simply pick up popularity as they go along. Go Shibata and his film Late Bloomer are true works of Japanese independent cinema, though. With as strange of topics as the film deals with, I'm sure he simply had to get the film made by himself without the help of any industry. Thankfully he did, as it is a thought provoking and thoroughly stylish foray into a world obscured.

Sumida is a disabled man by what appears to be some form of muscular disease. His body has been forced to contort into odd angles and he has been forced to use a mobile scooter to get around. He is unable to speak and uses a type-and-spell little keyboard that does all of his talking. With his problems, he still manages to get around and has a pretty good time with life. His helper, Take, is the lead singer in a punk band and takes him to all of his shows - which Sumida enjoys, then the two drink beers and eat afterward. Everything changes for Sumida though when a young woman enters his life. The girl is finishing up her final college year and working on her thesis with the focus of helping the disabled. She intends to make the focus of her thesis Sumida, and begins working as his helper. Sumida is immediately smitten with the girl and so enjoys her company. However, the girl has been spending a lot of her time with Sumida's friend Take after the two were introduced at one of his punk rock shows. Sumida's life is being flipped upside down and now his fragile mental state is about to erupt into a series of violent outbursts that will prove fatal for many.

Although featuring lush black and white photography, and also being a very independent Japanese film, Tetsuo: The Iron Man (or Electric Dragon 80,000 V. if you're really hip to Japanese cinema) this is not. It is a very focused and specific tale of one quiet man's journey through emotional disaster. A lot of hoopla is made about this being a "disabled serial killer" film - but the real story to the film is the torment of Sumida and the fracturing of his mental condition. A lot deeper stuff than you would know to expect if you were just under the impression that this was a piece of genre cinema or your average serial killer flick. Not to be mistaken though, Late Bloomer does feature some heavy violence. Although nothing gory, simply a lot of bloodletting, the black and white visuals give the film a feeling of gruesome horror during these scenes. Although the violence does play a part in the film, viewing this as any other horror movie simply won't do - as it is a drama and character study far ahead of being a film about murder. It's a tragedy but most of all it is a film with a heart, and does not make the use of a disabled man in the leading role feel like a gimmick of any sort.

Without hesitation I throw my recommendation for the film out there. It's a surreal, beautiful and bleak approach to a subject that is dealt with very rarely. Although not a film dealing with the politics of the handicapped in an outright manner, it makes the case for many and shows that no matter the physical appearance we are all tied to the simple things that ground us to reality and our humanity. The film also shows true promise from director Go Shibata who gives his actors space to create and shoots his film with an attentive eye that captures a very unique experience in dealing with the disabled. It is heart wrenching at times, disturbing at others but always interesting. Bone House Asia presents the film on DVD with interviews featuring the cast and director Go Shibata. There's also a brief introduction from Shibata as well as the film's trailers and a gallery of other trailers for other Bone House Asia films (which reminds me, I REALLY need to pick up Noriko's Dinner Table, been meaning to forever). Overall the film is treated very well and the interviews are in depth and interesting. If you're looking to see the film, you get some bang for your buck. You can visit Bone House Asia and see the rest of their catalog at their official site Here. If you're a fan of Japanese cinema, or bizarre film in general - I highly recommend it.