2023 JAPAN CUTS: FESTIVAL OF NEW JAPANESE FILM REVIEW!
Sawako (Akira Fukunaga) is outgoing, good at her job, passionate about life–and she often finds herself partaking in promiscuous activities (often with older men). Hand follows Sawako as she begins to transition from meaningless sexual encounters to more romantic and desirable relationships. On her journey through love and life she will find more out about herself then she could have ever imagined.
Driven almost entirely by sex, Hand is a pretty straightforward film–literally and existentially. I don’t think that it’s ever difficult for viewers to understand what is happening throughout the course of the film–and from the opening moments it seems that we have a fair grasp on what the ending of the film will look like. While there are some twists and turns along the way, and the ending isn’t exactly what I think most viewers would have anticipated, viewers still see a straightforward film that never really surprises. I wasn’t looking for anything to shock me in this regard, and I think the simple narrative helps to keep viewers in the know and present throughout the course of the film.
Again, though, sex is the vehicle by which Hand is told. I read a review shortly before watching the film (which is something I rarely do, but was curious based on stills I had seen from the film), and the writer mentioned that there was a sex scene almost every ten minutes. I thought to myself that they were exaggerating, and that an abundance of sex may have made it feel like there was a scene every ten minutes or so–but I was wrong. Hand really does showcase sex just about every ten minutes. Sometimes it’s presented in a classy, romantic fashion–and then there are times when it is presented to viewers in an animalistic way. There’s a juxtaposition in the way that sex is depicted throughout the course of the film, and it helps to strengthen the narrative really.
As important as sex is to developing the story of Sawako, Hand is really about the relationships that we forge throughout the course of our lives. Sawako deals with a series of individuals throughout the course of the film, and what she experiences seems to be a sped up version of what we tend to experience in our lifetime. She experiences love, lust, passion, disappointment, and everything in between. So much happens in Hand, and nearly all of the emotion rests on the shoulders of Fukunaga–and she delivers. Without her, without her ability to express each and every one of these emotions, Hand doesn’t express to viewers the sentiments that Director Daigo Matsui had hoped for. She’s fabulous, never missing a beat–and her prowess ultimately makes the film successful.
At this point you’re probably tired of reading the word “sex,” but the fact of the matter is that it can’t be avoided in an analysis of Hand. Again, we see a variety of different sex scenes throughout Hand, but how they are presented aesthetically can make or break the film. It’s important that even in those animalistic sex scenes that Matsui and Director of Photography Fûta Takagi find a way to be subtle, effective, and conscious of anyone and everyone watching. It’s important that the scenes are classy but honest–real depictions of what happens in the real world. This team captures these moments with grace, passion, and honesty–bringing them to life in the best possible way and helping to develop a truly wonderful film.
In a film that is driven by sex, it may be hard for someone to understand how emotionally relevant and important that film is–but Hand quickly establishes itself as such, and viewers are, early on in the film, able to understand the film’s purpose. Sex will certainly appeal to a large number of viewers, the narrative should appeal to everyone, and Fukunaga’s prowess and the stellar cinematography will help to invite viewers into the film and entice them from beginning to end.
Directed by Daigo Matsui.
Written by Sorami Date & Naocola Yamazaki.
Starring Akira Fukunaga, Akio Kaneda, Daichi Kaneko, Natsuko Obuchi, Kanji Tsuda, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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