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 Big
Bang Love, Juvenile A (46-okunen no koi/4.6 Billion Years of
Love - 2006)
R1 / NTSC DVD
AnimEigo
Director: Takashi Miike
Writers: Ikki Kajiwara, Hisao Maki & Masa Nakamura
Review by Brian Harris
A strange love forms and a surreal world is opened when two
prison convicts, the mild-mannered Jun and violent Shiro,
are thrown in to cell with one another. Despite sharing the
cell with many others, the two develop a deep connection
that allows them to explore other realms of reality without
leaving the prison. Something goes terribly wrong though and
the prison guards discover Jun choking the life out of his
sadistic lover. An investigation in to the murder is soon
underway and the number one suspect Jun continues to remain
an unlikely candidate as rope marks are discovered around
Shiro's neck. Did somebody get to Shiro before Jun and, if
so, why would Jun accept the blame for somebody else's
crime? As the digging commences it quickly becomes apparent
everybody in the prison, including the warden have some
grudge against Shiro! With so many suspects with motives, it
may be impossible to get to the truth.
Man, Big Bang Love, Juvenile A is one tough cookie to crack!
If you're an admirer of Takashi Miike (pronounced MEE-KAY)
and his other surreal works like Gozu, Izo and Box...you're
definitely going to "enjoy" this beautiful oddity. Those of
you that "fanned up" after Ishii The Killer and Audition may
want to tread carefully because Big Bang Love, Juvenile A
isn't an easy watch at all. It's homoerotic, German
Expressionist cinema mixed with chaotic, religious and
scientific symbolism; a neo-noir prison romance.
Would I recommend this film based on the acting and
cinematography alone? Absolutely. Overall, Takashi Miike's
mis-en-scène is breathtaking and, according to his personal
DVD blurb, this is his masterpiece. Who can argue with the
man? If he feels this is his masterpiece, so be it. One
thing Big Bang Love, Juvenile A is not though...is
entertaining. This film is almost completely bereft of any
entertainment value, it's art plain and simple and, as we
all know, art doesn't always have to entertain to be
significant. Personally, I thought this was an amazing film
and I'll probably require a few more viewings to grasp some
of the imagery present but this will more than likely never
leave my home. It's a fascinating film, very personal and
far from being a crowd pleaser. |
