Cold Fish is the second film in Sion Sono’s
“Hate trilogy” and this post also marks another look at an “inspired by true
events” film. In this case, a husband and wife serial killer couple who owned a
pet shop in Tokyo.
When I watched Love Exposure I hadn’t realised that it was the first in a
trilogy, but upon viewing Cold Fish I
see that it probably wouldn’t have mattered to watch them out of order. Sono
continues to explore themes of broken families, cults, sex and violence, with
his strong contemporary vision and outlandish characters.
Nobuyuki
Shamoto is the beleaguered owner of a modest tropical fish shop, passing
through his uneventful existence with his second wife Taeko and rebellious
teenage daughter Mitsuko, whose feelings of angst and unacceptance toward each
other create a rift in the family. Sono establishes their bleak life through a
great opening scene: the preparation of a dinner comprised solely of
microwavable convenience store food and its subsequent silent consumption. It
is not until Mitsuko finds herself in trouble at a local store for attempted
shoplifting that this family’s life begins to change. As though out of nowhere,
Yukio Murata, owner of the much larger and more successful “Amazon Gold”
tropical fish store approaches Shamoto and his family. What ensues is the rapid
forging of a strange relationship. Murata imposes himself upon the weak willed
and softly spoken Shamoto, offering, or basically forcing, his delinquent
daughter a job and lodging at his fish shop, promising to set her straight, and
taking Shamoto on board for certain business ventures that quickly get out of
hand. Being too afraid to speak out or decline the at once charismatic and
terrifying Murata, Shamoto soon finds himself embroiled in a world of crime,
murder and rare tropical fish, with his family collapsing even further.
The fish shop
is really quite a bizarre and fascinating setting for a film. It has that
aquarium wonderland appeal with its glowing fluorescent lights, dark yet
vibrant blues and greens, creating a eerily beautiful day-glo noir feel. On the
other hand it has a real kitsch-ness to it, as Murata dances down its aisles to
the kind of Hawaiian slide guitar music to be expected in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, and also serves
to render scenes of the most intense variety with ironically comical edge.
Driving Gene Krupa style Jazz drums also feature prominently; highlighting
Sono’s eccentric treatment of what would have likely become a run of the mill
serial killer movie in the hands of another director. The atmosphere of the
fish shop is established as equal parts lair and sanctuary, the perfect place
to harbour serial killer couple Murata and his wife as they draw in their prey.
From here Shamoto and his family are drawn into Murata’s whirlpool and things
only get stranger. Murata soon reveals his true psychotic nature, which is no
big surprise; his larger than life character is like a combination of your
annoying uncle at a family barbecue crossed with Joe Pesci in Goodfellas mixed with a bit of classic
Japanese style perversion. Murata’s wife is equally as disturbed, their
business and its array of young female employees appears increasingly cult-like
(a theme also explored in Love Exposure)
and the gore flows freely when they begin eliminating the competition.
I actually had
a bit of a problem with the gore. It’s not that I couldn’t handle it; it’s just
that it was treated in such a cartoonish way. It’s so over the top that, along
with its completely insane characters, it pushes the whole film into a
completely melodramatic, borderline comedy realm. I think that if Sono had
toned it down only a few small notches, this film could well have been
something approaching a masterpiece. But, that’s just not Sono’s style.
However, I think if you consider the tone Sono has taken, and the parameters
established; i.e. this is not a conventional serial killer film, then the film
really is quite interesting. Cold Fish
really is carried by its two male leads, Shamoto, played by Mitsuru Fukikoshi,
and Murata, played almost too well by Denden (yes, that’s his name). Fukikoshi
delivers a slow burn performance, conveying a quite pathetic man in way over
his head until eventually erupting into the antithesis the character we knew
previously, while Denden is a non stop assault. Cloying faux concern,
vaudeville and hardened gangster are all on display, falling under the shadow
of complete psychopath. The supporting cast, Asuka Murata and Megumi
Kagurazaka, are also brilliant in their femme fatale style roles. In the end
though, it is the theme of crazy upon which each of Sono’s characters play.
Watching Sion
Sono’s films, I really get the impression that he is a truly contemporary
director. His films just feel very now.
They are unsettling, over the top and really seem to push boundaries in terms
of characterisation, themes and just how much you can cram into a film. Sort of
a Japanese Lars Von Trier, especially when you look at his unconventional female
characters. It’s just the slightly over the top cartoon elements that I find
kind of beguiling, in an “I’m not sure if I like this” kind of way. But then,
there’s something about not really getting it that I do like! Cold Fish is by no means a perfect film,
but there were many elements that I really enjoyed. It is a bit long, but it is
definitely an interesting take on the whole serial killer/crime film, focusing
largely on its characters, which walk a fine line between captivating and just
plain too much. Add to that the ridiculous amount of blood and guts, this film
will definitely be challenging to some. Nevertheless, Sion Sono remains a very
exciting filmmaker and I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of Guilty of Romance, the final instalment
in the “Hate Trilogy”.
