Blue Spring

Aoi haru

Japan

2001

83 Min

Color

1.85:1

Japanese

Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
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SCR Toshiaki Toyoda, Taiyo Matsumoto

CAST Ryûhei Matsuda, Hirofumi Arai, Sosuke Takaoka, Yusuke Oshiba, Yuta Yamazaki, Shûgo Oshinari, Takashi Tsukamoto, Eita, Onimaru, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Kyôko Koizumi, Mame Yamada

SOUND Kiyoshi Kakizawa

Toronto, Chicago, Rotterdam (Main Programme), San Francisco, Karlovy Vary (Another View), Stockholm (Asian Images)

Synopsis

At a rough boys’ school in a Japanese suburb, boys play dangerous games. Beautiful photography, lovely hairstyles and a rock soundtrack that will reverberate for a long time.

Secondary school is heaven and hell. At a rough boys’ school in a new Japanese suburb, the days seem to last for ever. To use up their boundless energy in the midst of all that boredom, the boys play dangerous and sometimes cruel games. For instance, to decide who is the boss: the one who dares clap his hands most often on the edge of the fence on the school roof, as he falls backwards. One day, the hip Kujo wins the game. His childhood friend Aoki idolises him and at first Kujo takes kindly to his role as leader. But as the end of his school career comes in sight and everyone has to choose a future a career with the Yakuza or not Kujo loses interest in leadership. He hardly pays any more attention to Aoki and, in doing so, inevitably sets a violent mechanism in motion.I t is probably no coincidence that Blue Spring, just like last year’s Bad Company and Battle Royale, is about secondary schoolkids in Japan. Many Japanese filmmakers are searching for the causes of the economic and social crisis. A little self-reflection can’t do any harm, apparently. Blue Spring is supported by beautiful classic photography and a Japanese rock soundtrack by Kenji Ueda that reverberates for a long time. –IFFR

Director

Toshiaki Toyoda

Born in 1969 in Osaka Prefecture. Member of the training institution for professional Japanese chess players while ages of nine to seventeen. He began as screenplay writer for “Checkmate”(91)(directed by Junji Sakamoto), and then wrote for “Biriken”(96)(also directed by Sakamoto). Toyoda also writes for stage plays and comic strips. He made his debut as director with Pornostar (1998). The film earned him the Directors Guild of JAPAN’s award for promising new directors of 1998. He also won the same award at the Michinoku International Mystery Film Festival in 1999. In 2001 he directed Unchain, a five-year document on four boxers fighting their way up until retirement. He directed Blue Spring in 2002. The film ranked second in popularity among mini-theaters. Blue Spring is written by cartoonist Taiyo Matsumoto who is known for Ping Pong. In 2003 he directed 9 Souls, which earned him critics’ acclaim. It depicts how nine inmates rediscover the meaning of life after breaking out of prison… read more

Born in 1969 in Osaka Prefecture. Member of the training institution for professional Japanese chess players while ages of nine to seventeen. He began as screenplay writer for “Checkmate”(91)(directed by Junji Sakamoto), and then wrote for “Biriken”(96)(also directed by Sakamoto). Toyoda also writes for stage plays and comic strips. He made his debut as director with Pornostar (1998). The film earned him the Directors Guild of JAPAN’s award for promising new directors of 1998. He also won the same award at the Michinoku International Mystery Film Festival in 1999. In 2001 he directed Unchain, a five-year document on four boxers fighting their way up until retirement. He directed Blue Spring in 2002. The film ranked second in popularity among mini-theaters. Blue Spring is written by cartoonist Taiyo Matsumoto who is known for Ping Pong. In 2003 he directed 9 Souls, which earned him critics’ acclaim. It depicts how nine inmates rediscover the meaning of life after breaking out of prison. The cast include Ryuhei Matsuda, Yoshio Harada, Takako Matsu, Misaki Ito, Itsuji Itao. Among Toyoda’s other works are : TV commercials for “Onimushya 2”(video game software), “Amino Supli”(nutrition-supplement soft drink), promotional video for “Kimi to iu Hana,” the tune by Japanese rock band “Asian Kung-fu Generation.”

In August 2005 two months before the release of Hanging Garden a drug raid on Toyoda’s home uncovered 3.9 grams of stimulants, as a result of the police raid (and his subsequent arrest) the release of Hanging Garden could have potentially been derailed indefinitely, the release of the film went ahead as planned on it’s intended date of October 8 2005 and Toyoda received a three year suspended sentence. Some speculated that Toyoda was blacklisted by the Japanese film industry but December 19, 2009 will see the release of his first film for over 4 years and his first venture into period film The Blood of Rebirth. —asianmediawiki.com

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