Review for Sabu's 'Dead Run' (2005).

Initial fears were that this film would be based around its' religous aspects, the priest Yuichi and the community at large and how they work together, the christianity within a largely shinto or bhuddist country, as he arrives in the small sparse community. It's currently going through more than its usual crisis of Shore (coastal) versus Off Shore (inland population) illogical baseless snobbery, and the developers are moving into the reclaimed land on which they live in order to buy up the houses and land for posh hotels, resorts, shopping, mariners and whatever else they can construct.

Pressure comes in the form of the financial backers, the Yakuza, and this is certainly the main aspect of the tragic shattered community on the edge of complete collapse, but it's the relationships between the priest, Shuji - a local boy with a fascination for either religion of the Priest himself - his brother, the self-destructive and disturbed Shuichi, and Eri - the orphaned girl who stays closer to the Priest than any other member of the community (particularly her Aunt and Uncle, with whom she now lives) which she generally isolates herself from.

At it's heart is revealed a gently unfolding tragic love story, but the dynamics of all the relationships at work, the key ones, present a sophisticated layered dual-narrative of possibilities that discuss what's literally described in one scene as the relationship between kharma and fate. Shuji seems to be the most likely candidate for glory within his lifetime, yet his relationship with his brother - the more-obviously or typically endangered one - is a fascinating pointer to the ups and downs of paying too much attention to fascinating yet dangerous, and flawed activities, versus the ability to ignore and remain untouched by it all.

Twisting its' way nicely over a two-hour period, there are so many pointers to immense social understanding hidden within the script, also penned by Sabu, that although close to contrived and always clearly (and intentionally) a film, remains down-to-earth, soulful and incredibly insightful, original. Similar films of this ilk, the slice-of-life dramas that are relatively frequent, sometimes manage more focus or clarity, but they're rarely so obviously packed with ideas to be pealed away and revealed. Smartly constructed.

Despite the family relationships, the school day tussles with authority, and the community at large, Shuiji and Eri are the most important aspect that gradually comes together over the course of the story. Sabu has managed to give a love story that's very touching and unconventional in how it unfolds, comes together (if it indeed truly ever does), and infact there are so many aspects hidden within the story that to go much further in discussing my thoughts on it would potentially reveal too much and drive the focus of those that choose to see it beyond the numerous possibilities - so many directions to be gently pulled in, so many points-of-view to switch between, so devious and dark at its' heart. Very impressive story telling, deft Direction from a masterful artist, and a really touching, memorable film. Lovely, and an amazing use of the inventive minimalist score too.

This R3 HK DVD, issued very recently, is spot-on to my eyes, looks like another port of a Japanese release as it follows the unsubbed R2 Japanese DVD which preceeded this disc by a few months.