Onna-zakari
1994 / 118m - Japan
Drama
2.5*/5.0*
Turning Point poster

Watches

May 29, 2022

2.5*/5.0*

A somewhat lesser Obayashi, also the second newspaper drama I've seen in two days. Purely coincidental, as I don't really read any plot info up front. What I'm missing here is Obayashi's quirkier and more overtly stylistic elements. There are flashes of that, but not enough to make it a recognizable film.

The plot revolves around Yumiko, a middle-aged woman who has always written for the women's pages of a newspaper, and is being promoted to write editorial articles. She comes into a world where old men reign, and they're clearly not used to having a woman around as one of the gang. Yumiko isn't scared of them and charges right ahead.

Obayashi does make the film a bit more dynamic than the genre requires, and the performances are pretty solid. The plot's a bit all over the place and the theme isn't that exciting, at least not a good three decades later. It's not a bad film, but looking at Obayashi's other work, it could've used a little extra spice.