Today, I’m going to introduce a Japanese drama, “Straight to Hell” It’s about a life of real exited fortune teller, Kazuko Hsoki. But actually, she didn’t tell “fortune”, she tells “Hell”.
STORY Kazuko was born in Tokyo. After World War two, Kazuko and her family were going to start their lives by selling Oden(Fishcake stew). She and was 7 years old and had 8 sisters and brothers. Her mother, Mistu, tried hard to earn money for her kids.
One day, Mitsu got many American beers from a vender. But he was a swindler, the contains of beer was wheat tea. Young Kazuko had a strong hate to the cheated world, then she thought “Someone who gets fooled is at fault.”
So, Kazuko and her brother, Hisayoshi, went to cheat another vender nearby Kazuko’s home. At that moment, the vender almost going to buy Kazuko’s fake beer, but he found the beers were wheat tea. He got angry with Kazuko and he hit her into the ground.
She and he her brother were barley escape the vender with their lives to her home. With taking care of her wound, her mother told Kazuko, “If you done bad thing to the others, Kazuko, you were going to Hell.” That was gong to be key words to Kazuko’s life.
Review
When I watched this drama, I couldn’t understand why Kazuko was going to fraud or betray others even though she had a terrible experience.
There are kind of 2 types of persons, one is going to be nice, because he or she has got hard time. The other is going to hurt others’ feeling, because he or she got hard time. In case of Kazuko, I think, she is the type of the latter.
Kazuko was based on the real life of Hosoki Kazuko, a Japanese famous fortune teller. But actually, she always told her customers, “You are going to Hell” instead telling fortune. Her life was also like a roller coaster ride. If she betrayed someone, she was going to be betrayed by the other. If she frauded to someone, she was always be frauded by other people.
It’s like a reflected life. It was a trauma in her life.
She straight to go to Hell by herself. At last scene of this drama, when the little girl (image of her childhood) said to Kazuko, “If you do something bad to the others, you are going to Hell.”, she said “I’m already in Hell.” She answered.
She was like dancing in ending waltz to go to Hell in this drama. That waltz enhanced her beauty to go to Hell. She made her Hell by herself.
If you think your life is like in Hell, maybe you create your Hell by yourself, like Kazuzko.
STORY In 16th century in England, Agnes was living in a country side with her family. One day, William Shakespeare came to the town, he teaches Latin to Agnes’ brothers. They fell into love, had 3 kids. But, one of their children “Hamnet” lost his life by suffering from plague. William was depressed and he was going to write a play “Hamlet” inspired by his deceased child “Hamnet”.
REVIEW ★★☆☆☆1.5points Actually, this is first time for me to criticize someone’s movie in this blog.
First, I couldn’t find connection between the death of William’s son and “Hamlet”. In this film, the main character, Agnes is always wearing a red dress that maybe represent of sacrifice of Catholic. And also, his son was passed away for his sister, Judice. (First, she got a plague, then her brother, Hamnet choose his dead instead of his sister.) That reminds me Scenes from the Passion of Christ.
Anyway, but that couldn’t connect with the story of “Hamlet”. Because “Hamlet” itself is revenge tragedy. It is not confirmed “Hamlet” inspired by his son's life even in literature study.
Then, when we are going to see carefully about William’s life, his father, Jon was a successful glove maker and he was a mayor of his town. But his business counterparts were envy and entrapped him into a difficult situation. Then Jon was wrongfully accused and made to be ejected his job with a lot of his loans.
This story supposed to be an inspiration of “Hamlet” I think. Maybe there was a lot of lack of money in his family, but young William Shakespeare shouldn’t have got enough power to earn some money by his writing at that moment. A Father, lost of his job, was trapped and A Son couldn’t do nothing for his father… that sounds like “Hamlet” play situation, A Father was killed by traitors and his son wanted to revenge to them.
That would be the true reaction William really wanted to do…(but, in real world, revenge was not forgiven.) this is my image but, all people in the town gave his father a suspicious glance. That means no one help his family. In this situation made William want to revenge the traitor and kill “Hamlet”, himself in his play.
To be or not to be…
If you were him, you are going to kill the enemy and hate all body surrounding you and yourself.
That is too much of my imagination, but I cannot help to feel anger of young Shakespeare. And or, his anger to revenge was killed by writing the story, Hamlet’s death.
Some author project his personality onto a character. Maybe Shakespeare also had an anger to revenge someone, but it is not forgiven by himself. He couldn’t forgive people, so he wrote “Hamlet”. The story will focus to the forgiveness in his play.
If “Hamlet” is dead in his play, his anger to revenge also pass away in his mind. Shakespeare buried his anger by killing “Hamlet”.
So, that’s why I couldn’t enjoy this film. lol I felt something wrong with this film. Perhaps if there is not true story in a plot, audience feel “this is fake story”. But the stories of Shakespeare including “true story” are still read, played and made into movies in these days, that is true.
An American actor, Philipe lives in Japan, once got to be famous because of a Tooth Paste TV commercial, but after that, he couldn’t get any job as an actor so much. He looked for his job every day and his little pleasure is making quiet toasts to someone he doesn’t know — a neighbor he can see through the window of the apartment across from his.
One day, he went to work as a “grieving American” in his client’s living funeral, where he met Tada who is a president of actors’ production “Rental Family”. The company delivers actors to play like someone’s friends, relatives, families…
Philipe stared to work as an interviewer of famous Japanese old actor, Tokio.
And also, he plays as a father of little girl, Mia who lives with her mother and is going to get an admission interview of a private school.
REVIEW
First, I watched a trailer of this movie, I think “that will be end up by a typical situation; fake father and daughter’s relationship make us crying…I don’t want watch like that.” But my expectation was betrayed in good ways.
When Philippe plays as interviewer of Tokio, they went to Tokio’s home town. Then Tokio brought him to a small shrine. During the famous actor is praying for God, Philippe was just standing by him and waited. But Philippe wondered what is inside of curtains under shrines' roof.
And he asked “What is in it?”
Tokio said, “See by yourself” with laughing. Also said, “Our god is always in ourselves”
In Japan, actually there are much number of “rental” businesses. It’s so different from like Europe or United Stats, Japanese don’t have any custom of seeing psychiatry doctors or having therapy appointments. Instead, they use “rental “services.
Everyone feels loneliness.
But, if you are with your friends, families, lovers, your loneliness makes deep hole in your heart and it will never be filled with.
Or if you play as “fake yourself”, that will hurt someone and yourself.
So, that we are going to do?
Philippe got a small answer of this question.
He brought Tokio to his home town, though that was out of his service.
Tokio was prohibited going outside of his house, because he had a dementia.
“I don’t want hurt him.” Philippe said and he let Tokio’s last dream come true.
Few months later, Tokio deceased. After his farewell ceremony, Philippe went to shrine.
When he prays for God in shrine, suddenly, sprig wind brought and the curtain was turned up.
That was a mirror, just small Philippe reflected in it.
He smiled and went back to home.
Actually, inside of shrine was “small me.”
we don't be anyone, just be ourselves.
And as yourself can love someone as him or herself.
Maybe we can see our God in ourselves.
because Love itself is our God.
That reminds us Tokio’s words “Our god is always in ourselves”.
