In one of the few films that he directed but did not star in, Kitano Takeshi tells the story of a young deaf couple. Shigeru, Claude Maki, spends his days working for a trash collecting service and the rest of his time with his petite girlfriend Takako. Cut off from his co-workers because of his inability to speak or hear, Shigeru is often the victim of his coworkers' good-natured pranks. However, others emphasize his otherness when they chuck rocks at him to get his attention. They worry little about injuring him and only state that he won't get mad. While no one deserves the treatment that Shigeru receives, he is far from a warm person himself. Besides a few rare occasions in which he shows warmth, Shigeru is quite cold to those around him and he is especially cold at some points to his girlfriend Takako who, in her silent way, pours out her affection for her tall, wavy haired boyfriend.
Stuck in this monotonous world, Shigeru seems to be ready to live out his days, however, one day, he discovers a "Blue Bunny" surfboard on his trash route and this event adds a spark to his life. Without a wetsuit and with his girlfriend in tow, Shigeru begins to teach himself how to search. Criticized by the local beach bums at first, Shigeru soon earns their respect through his persistent nature and dedication to surfing. However, even though it seems that Shigeru and Takako have been accepted into this small circle of friends, can Shigeru truly be part of it or shall he remain confined in his silent world? One thing that truly draws me to Kitano's is the remarkable amount of care and tenderness that is infused in their filmic worlds. In Hana-bi the often brutal Nishi cares for his ailing wife tenderly in a silent way and in Kikujiro, the abrasive protagonist, along with an assorted group of oddballs, look after a young boy who is looking for his mother. These scenes are not overly sappy, well maybe Kikujiro can be at times, and are quite moving. In A Scene at the Sea these scenes rest mainly with Oshima Hiroko's character Takako. By folding his clothes on the beach while he is surfing and refusing to sit on the bus when he is unable to board it with his surfboard, Takako displays her affection and care for Shigeru. These scenes are quite touching in this nearly silent film. Another Kitano film beautifully scored by Hisaishi Joe, A Scene at the Sea might not be for those more interested in Kitano films such as Violent Cop and Boiling Point, but, like Dolls, this is an important film in perceiving the director's overall scope of film.
Stuck in this monotonous world, Shigeru seems to be ready to live out his days, however, one day, he discovers a "Blue Bunny" surfboard on his trash route and this event adds a spark to his life. Without a wetsuit and with his girlfriend in tow, Shigeru begins to teach himself how to search. Criticized by the local beach bums at first, Shigeru soon earns their respect through his persistent nature and dedication to surfing. However, even though it seems that Shigeru and Takako have been accepted into this small circle of friends, can Shigeru truly be part of it or shall he remain confined in his silent world? One thing that truly draws me to Kitano's is the remarkable amount of care and tenderness that is infused in their filmic worlds. In Hana-bi the often brutal Nishi cares for his ailing wife tenderly in a silent way and in Kikujiro, the abrasive protagonist, along with an assorted group of oddballs, look after a young boy who is looking for his mother. These scenes are not overly sappy, well maybe Kikujiro can be at times, and are quite moving. In A Scene at the Sea these scenes rest mainly with Oshima Hiroko's character Takako. By folding his clothes on the beach while he is surfing and refusing to sit on the bus when he is unable to board it with his surfboard, Takako displays her affection and care for Shigeru. These scenes are quite touching in this nearly silent film. Another Kitano film beautifully scored by Hisaishi Joe, A Scene at the Sea might not be for those more interested in Kitano films such as Violent Cop and Boiling Point, but, like Dolls, this is an important film in perceiving the director's overall scope of film.