Ballad: Na Mo Naki Koi No Uta (Takachis Yamazaki, 2009): Japan

Reviewed by Nitsa Pomerleau. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Director Takashi Yamazaki’s live-action Japanese blockbuster, Ballad, is decidedly child friendly. Following a recommendation from a talkative neighbor in line (you know the type), I made my way to the Arlington with high hopes of being swept up in some high-budget samurai fantasy—but within the first fifteen minutes the only fantasy I experienced was how to escape the relentless tungsten-brown colors on the screen.

The premise for Ballad centers on a cowardly young boy (the actor’s elfin face being the single worthwhile aspect of the feature) who is transported back to a feudal Japan where his cell phone still works. He befriends some G-rated samurai, a princess and—spoiler alert— learns to be courageous!

This film was inspired by the Crayon Shin-chan anime and manga series (which has a history of awkward western translation) and stays true in that respect. The dialogue and character development recall  junior high. The narrative is so cloyingly linear and utopian that the one twist in the plot makes you really angry because it is so out of place…Which reminds me of this list:

Ten Foreign Films I Wished I was Watching For the First Time While Watching Ballad:

(In random order)

1. Café Lumiere— Hou Hsiao-Hsien
2. Pierrot le fou –Jean-Luc Godard
3. Still Walking—Hirokazu Koreeda
4. Wild Strawberries – Ingmar Bergman
5. Last Year at Marienbad—Alain Resnais
6. Let the Right One in – Tomas Alfredson
7. Tokyo! – Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Joon-ho Bong
8. Sans Soleil – Chris Marker
9. In the Mood for Love – Wong kar-Wai
10. Blow Up—Antonioni

In other words, my obsession with Japanese culture is a little sad today.