Retake

After a somewhat middling decade, it seems Japanese dramas are back on the rise. For a while, they turned a tad pedestrian, either catering to Western arthouse expectations or more local yearnings for sentimentality. Recently, I've been seeing more projects that match the quality of the early 00s, with a film like Kota Nakano's Retake [Riteiku] serving as a perfect example. Because of that, international attention appears slim, and you have to do quite a bit of digging to find these films, but anyone who loved the laidback dramas of the 00s will know it's worth the effort.

I originally didn't have high hopes for Retake. I had heard it was a movie about shooting movies, and those types of films tend to annoy me somewhat. Most of them tend to glorify or mystify the act of making movies, even though it is just a profession like any other. That, coming from the movie industry itself, feels self-aggrandizing and disingenuous to me. But there's none of that here. The film is mundane and subtle, with the intrigue and charm being fully embedded in the drama. The project that the main characters are filming is nothing more than a hook for the narrative.

So, instead of watching the hustle and bustle of professional filmmaking, you're getting five kids who spend their summer holiday cruising through a sunny, rural environment, shooting a sweet story about two kids traveling to a land where time stands still. There is no rush, no big drama, just a few interpersonal hiccups and a cute narrative twist that I won't spoil here. It's the kind of film that allows you to sink back into your couch and reminisce about simpler and less complicated times. Not quite unlike Yamashita's A Gentle Breeze in the Village.

Kei is spending his summer vacation taking pictures of his hometown. By accident, he happens upon Yu, a girl who is in the same year as him. As he photographs her, she notices him and softly pressures him into making a movie with her. Yu has been wanting to make a movie, but she lacked a cameraman. Yu and Kei both convince their friends to take on the lead roles, and after onboarding Arisu for sound, the team is complete. They hang out each day and get closer to completing their film, except that Yu hasn't quite figured out how their story is supposed to end.

The cinematography is nothing too out of the ordinary, but it is on point, and it does a wonderful job of highlighting the charm of the locations. The mix of summer and the Japanese countryside provides a combination of bright yellows and greens, which is probably why the main character is running around in a blue showstopper outfit. The film within the film has a softer, more fuzzy look, in line with its fantastical core, making it all look even dreamier. Retake looks exactly the way you want a film like this to look. It's an understated beauty that slowly grows on you.

The score is very complementary to the visuals, meaning it's mostly just ambient sounds of nature that help transport you to the film's setting. There's the sound of cicadas, the flowing water of tiny streams, and the wind rustling in the trees. Add some humming and the rare piano tune, and you'll have a good idea of what to expect. If the visuals aren't lulling you into a state of total comfort, the soundtrack will do its very best to get you there. It's not the most notable use of music, but it is effective and efficient, and it only strengthened the mood of the film.

The performances, too, deserve a round of applause. The actors were clearly chosen on their merits, not for their commercial value (even though they aren't amateur-level nobodies). The five are all distinctive people with clear personalities, without being overly simplistic or generic. They're easy-to-be-with characters, but they're in no way idyllic or fully wholesome. It's a small cast, and interestingly enough, there are no other actors besides the five lead characters. There is no supporting cast, no minor cameos, no one who crosses their path. And it's something I only realized while writing this review.

The first half of the film is dreamy, gentle, and comfortable. You're allowed to hang out with some kids, committing to a fun summer project, with no other distractions or drama. It's not the type of cinema that attracts big crowds, but when executed like it is here, it is incredibly appealing. The second half becomes a bit more conceptual, and while the film retains its chill vibe, it also starts to appeal more to the brain, and it forces its audience to make more of an effort. I suspect this may be disruptive for some, especially those who simply wanted more of the same, but I quite enjoyed this sudden change of perspective.

Retake is somewhat of a throwback to the Japanese dramas of the 00s. It's slow, deliberate, stylish, and vastly human, but also a little challenging and different. I don't think it's the way forward for the industry as it's mostly harking back to experiences from the past, but as a fan, I wouldn't mind having a couple more of these. Getting your hands on it might be a challenge, but that's nothing new. Fans of Japanese dramas (not living in Japan) are used to jumping through hoops, and jump through hoops we will, as long as they keep making them like this.