{"id":940,"date":"2010-02-02T23:49:03","date_gmt":"2010-02-02T22:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=940"},"modified":"2010-02-02T23:53:06","modified_gmt":"2010-02-02T22:53:06","slug":"asyl-park-and-love-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/02\/02\/asyl-park-and-love-hotel\/","title":{"rendered":"Asyl: Park and Love Hotel"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Asyl: Park and Love Hotel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 9 February-21 March 2010

\nVenue:<\/B> Various venues around the UK

\nPart of the Japan Foundation touring programme: Girls on Film<\/B><\/A>

\nDirector:<\/B> Izuru Kumasaka

\nWriter:<\/B> Izuru Kumasaka

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Pí\u00a2ku ando rabuhoteru<\/I>

\nCast:<\/B> Chiharu, Sachi Jinno, Hikari Kajiwara, Lily

\nJapan 2007

\n111 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With its moody charm and pale, grainy look, Asyl: Park and Love Hotel<\/I> (Pí\u00a2ku ando rabuhoteru<\/I>) offers a marked contrast to the recent wave of ravishing pop films by Tetsuya Nakashima (Kamikaze Girls<\/I><\/A>, Memories of Matsuko<\/I><\/A>) or Mika Ninagawa’s gorgeous Sakuran<\/I><\/A>. Set in the Tokyo suburbs, with most of its sparse action taking place at a shabby ‘love hotel’, Asyl<\/I> is a slow-burning but ultimately life-affirming debut by Izuru Kumasaka, filmed with a discreet intensity and a feeling of lingering, subtle oddity. Much in the same way as the film’s title plays with the double meaning of ‘asylum’ - as a sanctuary and a madhouse - Izuru attempts to infuse the episodic narrative, which follows four women of different ages struggling with isolation, loss, tedium and the trouble of everyday life, with a sense of purpose that is both enchanting and disturbing. <\/p>\n

Asyl: Park and Love Hotel<\/I> is screening at the ICA<\/A> from 9-17 February as part of the Girls on Film<\/A>: Females in Contemporary Japanese Cinema season presented by the Japan Foundation. <\/div>\n

The main character in Asyl<\/I> is the grouchy and strict hotel manager, Tsuyako (played by singer-turned-actress Lily) who has been running the unusual love hotel - it has a public park on its rooftop - by herself since her husband disappeared years earlier. However, Tsuyako’s world expands when Mika (Hikari Kajiwara), a 13-year-old runaway with silver bleached hair, enters the free oasis in the city. Guided by the feeling that she has no place else to go after seeing her father with his new family, Mika seeks shelter overnight with Tsuyako. This is the prelude to further encounters between them and two other women at the hotel: Tsuki, a housewife whose daily fitness walk has taken her past the hotel for years until her routine is dramatically altered, and 17-year-old Marika, the hotel’s only regular guest, who actually uses the establishment for its intended purpose, regularly popping in with a different man in tow. <\/p>\n

Programme advisor Jasper Sharp will give an introductory talk about this year’s programme on February 4 at the Japan Foundation, London<\/A>. Free event but booking is essential: email event@jpf.org.uk. <\/div>\n

Although the fantastical rooftop location, complete with swings, benches and toys, would provide a suitable playground for an urban fairy tale, Asyl<\/I> is far from fantasy, as Izuru’s main concern lies in credibly exploring his characters’ motivations. The frequent use of close-ups strikes a fine balance between empathy and observation, without flaunting the women’s emotions or sentimentalising their struggles. In the absence of much dialogue and backstory, Izuru creates a potent degree of sensitivity in his warm, insightful yet sometimes detached depiction of his characters’ actions and reactions. <\/p>\n

All this may not sound exciting on paper, and Asyl<\/I> certainly has its flaws: it feels overly long and the pace occasionally flags, while its desire to avoid too much dramatic tension makes it difficult to fully engage with the story. Yet, it is a gentle film, with some wonderful low-key performances and beautifully crafted moments that mark Kumasaka out as a talent to watch. After all, Asyl demonstrates that it is still possible to craft an affecting, unpretentious and quietly entertaining film outside the framework of the pop genre.<\/p>\n

Pamela Jahn<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

Asyl: Park and Love Hotel<\/I> is also screening in Sheffield (22-Feb-4 March), Belfast (5-9 March), Edinburgh (10-14 March) and Bristol (13-21 March). More details on the from 9-17 February as part of the Japan Foundation website<\/A>. <\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With its moody charm and pale, grainy look, Asyl: Park and Love Hotel<\/I> (Pí\u00a2ku ando rabuhoteru<\/I>) offers a marked contrast to the recent wave of ravishing Japanese pop films.
\nReview by Pamela Jahn<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,42],"class_list":["post-940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cinema-releases","tag-asian-cinema","tag-japanese-cinema"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-fa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":749,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2009\/09\/02\/raindance-09-kakera\/","url_meta":{"origin":940,"position":0},"title":"RAINDANCE 09: KAKERA","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"September 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Shooting with a microscopic attention to detail, first-time director Momoko Ando creates a thoroughly compelling world - beautiful, surreal, romantic and personal - aided by an excellent soundtrack and strong visual sense. 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