Koreeda Hirokazu's newest film "Kuki Ningyo AKA Air Doll" is a brilliant and sobering look at life, alienation and loneliness in modern society. Its fantastical story while unconventional delivers a powerfully emotional story that will certainly have a lingering effect on viewers.
The story seems like the plot of a Japanese AV (Adult Video) or anime - a blowup sex toy one day miraculously comes to life after gaining a "heart/soul" (kokoro). Her owner is a lonely middle aged waiter named Hideo (Itao Itsuji) who lovingly talks to the doll whom he named " Nozomi" and thinks of her as his companion and lover. While Hideo is at work, Nozomi (portrayed by the talented Korean actress Bae Du-Na) ventures out into the real world with childlike curiosity and wonder. During one of her outings she encounters Junichi, a friendly video shop clerk (handsome fashion model turned actor ARATA/Iuchi Arata). It is love a first site and Nozomi decides to work for Junichi and his boss, Samezu (Iwamatsu Ryo). Nozomi's unbelievable naiveté and awkwardness doesn't seem to bother Junichi and he soon educates Nozomi on life and human interaction through foreign movies and TV. As Nozomi falls deeper into love for Junichi, she becomes more distant and colder to Hideo (who is oblivious to her adventures and newfound sentience). The bond with Junichi becomes even stronger when he discovers her secret and saves her life after Nozomi develops a gash in her body (causing air to escape from her body). However, Nozomi's happiness soon fades as fate deals her a number of setbacks and a tragic error in judgment soon shatters her life forever.
While comparisons to Craig Gillespie's 2007 film "Lars and the Real Girl" (and perhaps even in a looser sense 1987's "Mannequin") are likely, "Air Doll" is more like a companion piece to that film and also goes beyond just dealing with a man's obsession with an artificial girl but explores the greater question of how people deal with loneliness and alienation. In fact amid Nozomi's quest to learn humanity, she encounters various people along the way who cope with loneliness in different ways (a senior who is at peace in the twilight of his life; a woman who tries in vain to regain her youth; a young woman who binges on food to fill her void; a refined woman who involves herself in every little aspect in her neighborhood). As in his previous films especially "Dare Mo Shiranai" and "Maboroshi" Koreeda has a knack at exploring the lives of ordinary people and creating drama out of the mundane and ordinary.
The screenplay (adapted by Koreeda and based on Goda Yoshiie's short manga story "Goda Tetsukaku Dou - Kuki Ningyo/Goda's Philosophical Discourse - Air Doll") very much captures author Goda's quirky and satirical commentary on love and society but Koreeda adds in the human aspects and supplements the story with a remarkably touching look at love and humanity.
Bae Du-Na's (Host, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) performance is endearing and lovely. Since her first Japanese film debut "Linda Linda Linda" Du- Na has become even more confident in her Japanese language abilities and is able to project likable girlish charm in her role as Nozomi. Du-Na tackles the role of Nozomi with impressive boldness (she appears naked in a good portion of the film)and yet she doesn't make Nozomi sleazy or dirty in the least and in fact portrays her in a almost childlike fashion. ARAKA is also good in his role but doesn't really bring much to the table other than being a nice guy character who is incredibly tolerant of Nozomi and all her bizarre quirks (his Jyunichi character doesn't even show any terror or shock at the site of Nozomi deflating in front of him or in the fact that Nozomi has an air tab in her bellybutton). Odagiri Joe (Shinobi, Tokyo Tower) who makes a cameo appearance as Sonoda, Nozomi's kindly manufacturer and "father" also puts in a great albeit short performance. When Odagiri's character asks Nozomi if she regrets gaining a soul, it is a touching and tearful scene.
Much has been said of Taiwanese cinematographer Pin Bing Lee's (Flight of the Red Balloon; The Sun Also Rises) glorious and vibrant photography and indeed it is impressive. The film looks wonderful and has an almost fairy tale quality about it.
"Air Doll" could have focused on the obsession with finding virtual and artificial love and the bizarre and perverted fascination with "Real Dolls" and other sex toys but thankfully Koreeda opted to instead focus on the loneliness and other human conditions that force humans into seeking love and affection however artificial. "Air Doll" is a reflective yet tragic story of a doll who somehow was blessed to find a soul but who ultimately fell victim to all the heartaches that came with it - ironic that while Nozomi was created to fill the void and sexual needs of others yet yet was ultimately unable to achieve that need herself.
The story seems like the plot of a Japanese AV (Adult Video) or anime - a blowup sex toy one day miraculously comes to life after gaining a "heart/soul" (kokoro). Her owner is a lonely middle aged waiter named Hideo (Itao Itsuji) who lovingly talks to the doll whom he named " Nozomi" and thinks of her as his companion and lover. While Hideo is at work, Nozomi (portrayed by the talented Korean actress Bae Du-Na) ventures out into the real world with childlike curiosity and wonder. During one of her outings she encounters Junichi, a friendly video shop clerk (handsome fashion model turned actor ARATA/Iuchi Arata). It is love a first site and Nozomi decides to work for Junichi and his boss, Samezu (Iwamatsu Ryo). Nozomi's unbelievable naiveté and awkwardness doesn't seem to bother Junichi and he soon educates Nozomi on life and human interaction through foreign movies and TV. As Nozomi falls deeper into love for Junichi, she becomes more distant and colder to Hideo (who is oblivious to her adventures and newfound sentience). The bond with Junichi becomes even stronger when he discovers her secret and saves her life after Nozomi develops a gash in her body (causing air to escape from her body). However, Nozomi's happiness soon fades as fate deals her a number of setbacks and a tragic error in judgment soon shatters her life forever.
While comparisons to Craig Gillespie's 2007 film "Lars and the Real Girl" (and perhaps even in a looser sense 1987's "Mannequin") are likely, "Air Doll" is more like a companion piece to that film and also goes beyond just dealing with a man's obsession with an artificial girl but explores the greater question of how people deal with loneliness and alienation. In fact amid Nozomi's quest to learn humanity, she encounters various people along the way who cope with loneliness in different ways (a senior who is at peace in the twilight of his life; a woman who tries in vain to regain her youth; a young woman who binges on food to fill her void; a refined woman who involves herself in every little aspect in her neighborhood). As in his previous films especially "Dare Mo Shiranai" and "Maboroshi" Koreeda has a knack at exploring the lives of ordinary people and creating drama out of the mundane and ordinary.
The screenplay (adapted by Koreeda and based on Goda Yoshiie's short manga story "Goda Tetsukaku Dou - Kuki Ningyo/Goda's Philosophical Discourse - Air Doll") very much captures author Goda's quirky and satirical commentary on love and society but Koreeda adds in the human aspects and supplements the story with a remarkably touching look at love and humanity.
Bae Du-Na's (Host, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) performance is endearing and lovely. Since her first Japanese film debut "Linda Linda Linda" Du- Na has become even more confident in her Japanese language abilities and is able to project likable girlish charm in her role as Nozomi. Du-Na tackles the role of Nozomi with impressive boldness (she appears naked in a good portion of the film)and yet she doesn't make Nozomi sleazy or dirty in the least and in fact portrays her in a almost childlike fashion. ARAKA is also good in his role but doesn't really bring much to the table other than being a nice guy character who is incredibly tolerant of Nozomi and all her bizarre quirks (his Jyunichi character doesn't even show any terror or shock at the site of Nozomi deflating in front of him or in the fact that Nozomi has an air tab in her bellybutton). Odagiri Joe (Shinobi, Tokyo Tower) who makes a cameo appearance as Sonoda, Nozomi's kindly manufacturer and "father" also puts in a great albeit short performance. When Odagiri's character asks Nozomi if she regrets gaining a soul, it is a touching and tearful scene.
Much has been said of Taiwanese cinematographer Pin Bing Lee's (Flight of the Red Balloon; The Sun Also Rises) glorious and vibrant photography and indeed it is impressive. The film looks wonderful and has an almost fairy tale quality about it.
"Air Doll" could have focused on the obsession with finding virtual and artificial love and the bizarre and perverted fascination with "Real Dolls" and other sex toys but thankfully Koreeda opted to instead focus on the loneliness and other human conditions that force humans into seeking love and affection however artificial. "Air Doll" is a reflective yet tragic story of a doll who somehow was blessed to find a soul but who ultimately fell victim to all the heartaches that came with it - ironic that while Nozomi was created to fill the void and sexual needs of others yet yet was ultimately unable to achieve that need herself.