I Am Keiko

One of Sono's earlier, more experimental films. It's a film centered around the concept of time and boredom, so don't expect any madcap Sono antics here. It's a typical film by a young director exploring the boundaries of his medium. In that sense, it's a pretty fun and interesting feature, but the skills needed to do justice to the material weren't quite there yet.

Keiko is a young waitress living alone in Tokyo. She doesn't have anyone, and when her father dies of cancer she turns even more inward. She becomes obsessed with time, and three weeks before her 22nd birthday she decides to document the time she spends in that period, no matter how lonely or confrontational the exercise will be.

Sono does his best to create an introspective atmosphere, and while many of his attempts are on the mark, with a film like this every detail matters. The cinematography is promising and the soundtrack can be quite mesmerizing, but the direction is a little too imprecise to make it work consistently. It's an interesting experiment from a talented director, but not 100% successful.