Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...

And, yeah, headlines like that one keep me going.

Hinokio: Intergalactic Love

I got to catch a showing of the Japanese movie "Hinokio" directed by Takahiko Akiyama, via the Honolulu International Film Festival. For those unfamiliar with this film and it's recent sprint through the blogosphere, Hinokio is about a recluse boy named Satoru whom uses a surrogate robot as his extension to the outside world. Let me breakdown the story a bit before I tell you where this film ultimately lands.

Receiving injuries from an accident which kills his mother, Satoru is stricken to a wheelchair with psychological whiplash that leaves him unwilling to speak to his father. A crippling blow to the family dynamic, Satoru seeks shelter in his room and his father (a robotics engineer) in his office. Hoping to solve Satoru's lifestyle change, the father builds a him a robot to help interact with the outside world. Now, this information unfolds through the first act as we are quickly introduced to the robot in the first 5 minutes of the film. The robot shows up for school as a 'publicly known experiment' to aid in rehabilitation of physically and emotionally challenged individuals. Satoru's robotic stand is a walking-talking robot, with a design that is very convincing as something which could exist today...er, soon. As the teacher introduces the robot to the class, he is quickly given the nickname 'Hinokio' because of the cypress wood used in his legs. There is a passing reference to Pinocchio by a student, but thats as far as that analogy goes. From this point on, the movie plays out like a typical teenage new-kid-tries-to-fit-in- then-meets-bullies formula until you start thinking "Hey! Don't hurt the poor little robot!?" That is where the movie actually begins to own you. I won't go into detail as to how things turn out for Satoru and Hinokio, but I guarantee, it's a story that hasn't been told yet (at least not like this) and you definitely get sucked in for the ride.

The movie ultimately is about the fragility of life and how everyone finds ways to cope with love and loss. The concept of a boy experiencing life through the eyes of a robot is a very unique and refreshing angle, which seems a natural challenge for the Japanese writer/director. This movie succeeds in borrowing common story conventions (Bullies, teen angst, powerless parents, robots) while avoiding typical cliches that makes most teen movies impossible to sit through. Hinokio's interaction with friends and family is engaging without being hokey or cutesy. Movie's have explored the stranger-alien-monster as a friend concept forever (Frankenstein, Starman, E.T. etc, etc,), what might seem like familiar territory, isn't really. The fact that everyone knows there is a boy operating Hinokio is an interesting twist which leans towards the avatar concept of online chat and gaming sites (which the later has a big role). A boy using a robot to cope with feelings for his lost mother and estranged father, brings some interesting questions to the table. Mainly, how one's physical identity plays less of a role in today's virtual society (cellphones, instant messaging, MMORPG, etc). Again, this is a story about kids finding themselves, sometimes light- hearted and others times tear-jerking. I think what helps the film succeed is it's country of origin. The Japanese perspective of children cooping with complex adult emotions, transitioning into individuals themselves, are handle with much more care and sensitivity than other cultures could have (cough, american culture, cough). Industrial Japan makes the proper setting, with a very well executed 'just around the corner' future feel. Visually, there was a conscious effort in keeping things grounded to reality while adding just the right amount of sci-fi technology to propel the story along. I cannot imagine how lame this could have been if a Hollywood Committee style approach had gotten a hold of this property. The one movie that did come to mind during viewing Hinokio is Kubrick's A.I. I won't say how, but there was some emotions present that I hadn't felt since that movie. (I'm not saying it's anything like A.I., granted boy as robot is as close as it gets. You'll understand when you see it.)

Ok, last thing. Effects. For those not in the know, the Director played a big part as Visual Effects Director in Final Fantasy:Spirits Within. Hinokio is his debut feature and all of his work in photorealistic cg has paid off big time. The visual effects work of the robot is top notch, with handling of cg integration of actors and sets as something to witness. Overall, this is a unique movie with a lot of heart. I cannot stress enough how well the movie balanced it's many themes, both visual and narrative, without falling on it's face. If it doesn't hit your city, make that DVD raid to Japan Town soon. I believe this to be evidence that a great filmmaker is on the horizon.

BTW, why it's called 'Intergalactic Love' is still a mystery to me.

Regards,

softcorerobot

This sounds great. Can’t wait to see it. Thanks for the review, softcorerobot, and let us know if you see anything else at the Fest that you love.

"Moriarty" out.