November 17, 2016
Le Rendez-vous –
Japan, 1972
I wanted to like Saito Koichi’s Le Rendez-vous – I really did. This is a film whose opening ten
minutes - with its mesmerizing use of light colors, images of youthful
innocence, sheer lack of dialogue, and eerie shots of the face of an
emotionally broken woman - utterly fascinated me, and even when reservations began
to set in upon the appearance of the film’s other main character, I still remained
intrigued enough in the first one not to dwell on my ever growing misgivings.
Eventually, though, after moment after moment of exaggerated emotions and forced
scene after forced scene, I had to accept reality: the film just wasn’t doing
it for me.
The film’s central character is an older woman named Keiko,
played masterfully by Keiko Kishi . Keiko is traveling with another woman on a
train. Their destination is not revealed, yet it is clear that they are not
friends. Friends, after all, talk to each other, and these two ladies just
exchange looks that betray an unusualness in their relationship. In fact, in
the film’s first five minutes, Keiko’s emotion remains completely unchanged.
This is a woman who has shut down emotionally and who seems to be trying to
avoid anything resembling human contact. As for the other woman, she looks as
if she is not there by choice.
Given this set-up, it seems natural for the person who draws
Keiko out of her shell to be her polar opposite, and the young man on the train (Ken'ichi Hagiwara) is just that. He’s talkative, hyperactive, more than slightly annoying; he’s
also constantly running off at inopportune times. In one such moment, he
abruptly announces his need to depart just after Keiko’s revealed a startling
secret. Normally, such actions would create separation, as well as doubts about
the man’s maturity, yet there Keiko is in the very next scene seemingly dolling
herself up to impress him.
Now this would be fine if the film were about two people
drawn to each other physically or about two people who really needed someone –
anyone – to get through the day. However, by the end of the film, there they
are professing their love for each other and vowing to be together regardless
of the challenges that stand in their way. I didn’t buy it, and, perhaps even
more telling, by that point in the film, I didn’t care.
And yet, I also couldn’t look away. For one, the film is
beautifully shot and includes some amazing shots that allow the audience to
contrast both the drab, lifeless interior of the train and the outside world’s dull
stone pathways with the startlingly bright and vibrant flowers and trees that
grow in isolated patches throughout the area’s mostly vacant walkways. I saw
this as the outside world reflecting Keiko’s inner state, and the colors the
sporadic and fleeting moments when hope seeps through Keiko’s self-erected wall.
I couldn’t help wanting to know more about this character, and I have no doubt
that I would have enjoyed the film much more if it had focused exclusively on
her.
In a way, the film is a study in halves. Only one of its
lead characters held my interest, and only the first part of the film created
tension and mystery. Perhaps more importantly, only one of the characters made
me actively wish for some indication of future happiness. I find myself wishing
I had it in me to recommend a film strictly for one performance, as I’ve seen
so many reviewers do over the years. I just can’t. 50 percent success just
doesn’t get the job done. Nice try, though. (on DVD)
2 and a half stars
*Le Rendez-vous is
in Japanese with English subtitles.
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