“Inu-Oh”A review of the 2021 Venice Film Festival was done by
The competition may be fierce, but it’s probably safe to say that Masaaki Yuasa’s “Inu-Oh” is the best feudal-Japanese-hair-metal-demonic-curse-serial-killer-political-tragedy-rock-opera of the year. So far.
And if that sounds silly, that’s Masaaki Yuasa for you. The filmmaker transforms bizarre pitches into brilliant pop art. From the absurdly beautiful to the sublime, it’s an exciting career. “Devil Man Cry Baby”Joyfully earnest to you “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!”He tells stories that are as intense and unhinged as the animation styles he uses. And they seem to have no interest whatsoever in conforming.
So it’s fitting that “Inu-Oh”Art that inspires, that challenges and that defies is the theme of the film. The film is set in 14th-century Japan and follows Tomona, a young boy who is blind. Mirai Moriyama voices him. “Samurai Marathon”He wanders off to seek revenge. He is a survivalist. biwa player and preserves oral traditions alive by the power of music.
Meanwhile, a young cursed boy — who has no name, but will come to be called Inu-oh (voiced by Avu-chan, lead singer of the fashion punk band Queen Bee) — has been living like an animal on the outskirts of society. Inu-oh is hidden behind a mask and has one arm that measures at least six feet in length. He was cursed from birth for reasons he doesn’t understand.
Inu-oh meets Tomona in a land ravaged with serial killings. Together they decide to create their own band. The Fusion biwa storytelling style with pyrotechnic theatrics, sensual costuming, hard-rock riffs and an epic wail that could rival Freddie Mercury’s, they dare to tell tales of the Heike that have never been told before, defying both musical tradition and political mandate.
Yuasa could have enjoyed a remarkable career in live theatre: “Inu-Oh” presents epic stage performances filled with wire work, lighting gimmicks and shadow play that would tear the house down in the 21st century, and watching how the band realizes these visions using contemporary technology is one of the film’s many visual treats.
This imagery brings to life a series musical performances that pulse with rare rock-opera energy. Usually reserved for classics like “Streets of Fire.”Every song is massive, every beat is pounding hard and every story is a treasure trove. A great musical will have an audience that leaves the theater wanting to buy the soundtrack. (Curses, we’ll have to wait a while to own composer Yoshihide Ôtomo’s work here.)
It’s fair to say that “Inu-Oh”It takes longer to get to the headbanging musical performances. There are multiple storylines that have an ambiguity that pays off later but can be really confusing in the moment. Thank goodness that once the bass kicks in there’s no turning back, and Yuasa’s film is — for most of the running time — nothing but fireworks.
It would have been a wonderful film if it ended with its stunning and violent musical explosions. However, there are a few more beats that need to be thrown out, quite some gut punches, as well as important points that will make the story uncomfortable. “Inu-Oh” is a story about using art to speak truth to power, but it’s not a story about how an anachronistically glam rock biwaIn defiance of social customs, act unified feudal Japan. It’s a story about why some stories go untold, and why some people tell them anyway, no matter what the cost. It’s a celebration and a tragedy, and they feed each other — and need each other — to survive.
“Inu-Oh”It may be messy in its plotting but it never loses its impact. It’s a siren scream of a musical: angry and beautiful, rapturously animated and highly infectious.
“Inu-Oh”Friday, April 5, 2012 in U.S. theatres