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First, the Recap:
If the world is set with rigid tradition, do we have any chance to find freedom and an identity that reflects who we truly are? More so, what if in the pursuit of said goal to potentially extradite ourselves from the chains of societal expectation and the subsequent toll it manifests on our mental well-being, we end up opening the door for influences from other places to instead take over? Would these outsiders be a welcome relief from what we have known? Or would it possibly just act as a newly introduced structure of rules that drive us to the mental edge once more? In a dystopian Tokyo, those inhabiting it wrestle with this, even as their engineered reality forces them to comply with pre-established convention. But, ever looming is the seemingly overwhelming presence of another culture that could either be salvation, or a society’s downfall.
Next, my Mind:
As is hinted at above, the 4-minute short film from writer/director Luis Grane and producer/editor Tomas Basile, coming off its screening at the 2nd Annual 2019 Berlin Illambra Experimental Film Festival shown at Salon AM Moritzplatz and hosted by Illambra, presents an actuality where people mingle with cartoon characters, chat with long dead ancestors by rites of societal tradition, and watch as the onslaught of Americanism and its associated cultural impact flood a futuristic Tokyo, cleverly symbolized by pachinko balls rolling through it all. What really gets you as a viewer–is that it actually makes sense! With a mix of live action and animated elements, the story presents a rather deep and vivid portrait of a society known for its unshakable structure and traditions not only facing its own citizen’s rebellion against the norm, but also being overrun by a foreign cultural wave to boot, whether for good or ill still in question.
The utilization of the pachinko balls as a metaphor is wisely engaged to deliver an image of the “pin-balling” this dystopian Tokyo is experiencing, even as it makes its play to illustrate the damage already done by its own inherent and implicit rules that are now weighing heavily on the individuality and soul of a city and, in grander scope, a nation. It definitively speaks to this critic as an American, especially in that when we look at the freedoms we enjoy in this country, but then seem to believe apparently it gives us the right to offer (more likely, even if unintentionally) push our ideas and foundational culture on others, which we do see the impacts of when there are McDonalds and Walmarts in countries like Japan and China among a myriad of other places. It does therefore make me wonder, since I am not physically there to assess, how much negative impact it does have, since all we ever hear about for the most part is the positive.
Yet, we also have been made aware of how much other cultures embrace a lot of what we have to offer, whether it be retail, entertainment, services, and beyond and then in view of this type of reaction, it would then point out the facets of this short film that emphasize a given city or country’s agitation with its own state of being and is longing for the newly found excitement of something that comes from outside its boundaries and restrictions. But, then with all of this occurring, it’s also a wonder that some may find themselves at a complete loss of true identity, as they wish to maintain their own historical way of life while then being tantalized by the lure of things so overtly, distinctly different and refreshing, they are indeed “pin-balled” and the literal taxation on one’s spirit could be a tangibly experienced issue, which I felt the film strives to address in its own abstract way.
Now, all of this should not, in my opinion, necessarily shine a poor light on the good that cultural exchange as a whole can produce, as there are more than plenty of examples of how countries mutually benefit from the exchange of ideas, products, resources, etc. I do think, though, that there might need to be more thought put into how some things are introduced so that the actual consequences of it all are more subtle and not so harmful if added too quickly to the atmosphere of a foreign land. In total, “Pachinko” is a strongly executed statement about the ramifications of cross-cultural influences, the tainting of tradition, the warping of reality, the metal state of us as human beings because of it, and the overall taxation on the psyche. May we learn a lesson from this short film offering and perhaps find better ways to sway each other for betterment rather than disorder.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
