2023 JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM REVIEW!
Kikuo (Masatoshi Kihara) has just returned home from France after studying for years to become a translator. It’s the 1930’s in Japan, and he spends time with his sister Tsuruha (Rii Ishihara). The two discuss life and talk about the trials and tribulations that they have faced and where they are headed in the future. However, this is a Flashback Before Death–as Tsuruha is dying. She relives some of the most important moments of her life–even though it’s too late.
The first five minutes of Flashback Before Death is almost completely without dialogue–only one line of dialogue exists in those opening moments, and it allows the tone of the film to build. Tonally the film is incredibly dark, which makes sense considering it explores Tsuruha’s life through a series of flashbacks as her time slowly expires–and in the opening moments viewers see her laying there, in front of a backdrop of nature, in all of its glory. Again, the film is dark, but it’s constantly juxtaposed by things that bring out other aspects of it. Beauty manages to transcend the entirety of Flashback Before Death as a result of these juxtapositions–and the darkness that also survives the entirety of the film, while firmly planted within the narrative, never becomes overwhelming or deafening.
Much of Flashback Before Death focuses on material items and money. The conversations between brother and sister consistently address ideas of wealth and the things that come along with it–but it often feels that these conversations are meant to juxtapose the actual meaning behind the film. Flashback Before Death allows viewers to see into the thoughts of someone on the cusp of death, and like I’m sure many in a similar situation would tell you, they aren’t looking back at material things–they are looking back at experiences and the relationships that they have formed throughout the course of their lives. These conversations signify–the insignificance of material possessions, the unimportance of what we often believe to be the most important things in our lives.
Everything throughout the course of Flashback Before Death is geared toward reminding viewers what is and isn’t important in life. The aesthetic, the dialogue, and everything in between works together to create a clear and cohesive understanding of ourselves and our lives. What is even more interesting, however, is the fact that, just like the conversations being had between brother and sister, other aspects of the film are used to juxtapose what we are actually meant to get out of the film. For example, the majority of the film is dark–sometimes so dark that it’s difficult to see what is on screen. In some ways this seems to represent the clouded judgment of a one-time materialistic person, but it also, again, helps to juxtapose exactly what viewers are meant to learn when watching Flashback Before Death. The difficult visuals make for somewhat of a challenging film, as there are instances when I couldn’t see what was going on, but the message remains the same–and what’s always clear is that darkness has played a pivotal role in these characters’ lives.
Flashback Before Death is dark, gritty, challenging–all in more ways than one. However, it’s always moving forward, it’s always transitioning from place to place in a way that allows the narrative to shine brightly, to be understood. This film is uniquely beautiful, tackling its subject matter with passion and vigor, but almost always in a juxtapositional fashion. The way in which Writer-Directors Rii Ishihara and Hiroyuki Onogawa approach the film, the way in which they continuously get their point across is intriguing, never relenting throughout the entirety of the short film. Listen closely, because Flashback Before Death is a film that can benefit everyone.
Written & Directed by Rii Ishihara & Hiroyuki Onogawa.
Starring Rii Ishihara, Masatoshi Kihara, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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