Bluestockings (Jiyuu Renai, 自由戀愛) Review
On paper the premise for Masato Harada's Bluestockings sounds, frankly, less than exciting. A costume drama set in early 1920's Tokyo the film explores the beginnings of the Japanese women's movement, the pressures between tradition and modernization, the west and the east, by exploring the relationships within a lover's triangle. It's the sort of highly politicized content that, in lesser hands, can amount to little more than a dogmatic pounding for the audience but Harada turns in a finely wrought drama driven by a trio of remarkably full blooded performances. Though there are a pair of missteps in the late going where Harada steps onto the soapbox the film, on the whole, manages to embody the politics within the textured layers of its characters.
The film opens in an all girl's school, with the students gathering for club pictures as they come to what must be close to the end of their school careers. And amidst all the bubbly silliness that comes from packing a room full of high school girls there is a remarkably serious thread. New ideas about gender roles are beginning to surface and the girls have pledged to become ‘new women', women who work to support themselves and, if they marry at all, marry for love rather than social pressure. This girls want to change the way society thinks.
But, of course, it's much easier to be an idealist when someone else is paying your freight through school, much more difficult once you encounter the realities of life. The story jumps ahead in time and picks up with Akiko, one of those school girls, being woken from her sleep by a minor earthquake – a recurrent theme – and latching on to her husband, Yuichiro, for support. Though she does appear to love her husband wholeheartedly the fact is that for all her talk of independence and self determination Akiko has entered into an arranged marriage into an incredibly wealthy family and is now perfectly happy to spend her days idly spending her husband's money.
A chance encounter with a school friend at the theater re-introduces Akiko to Kiyoko, another school friend, and one who has stayed truer to her convictions and had a far more difficult life as a result. When Kiyoko learned that her husband was keeping a mistress she divorced him and, as a result, has been forced to return to live with her father, poor and alone. Blissfully unaware of just how insensitive she is in flaunting her wealth, Akiko bounces her way into Kiyoko's life and arranges for her to take a job in her husband's corporation, a decision she quickly comes to regret when rumors immediately begin circulating that Kiyoko has become Yuichiro's mistress.
Working from his own script Harada has created a convincing picture, one seldom seen on screen, of Japan in transition. The Japan of the twenties is a nearly even fusion of western and traditional influences, the old generation fully traditional and the young generation opting largely for western dress and foods. The old value continuity and family obligations, the young self determination. The characters are a compelling stew of forces in conflict, desires pulling them in all directions, and those conflicts drive the drama of the piece. Harada has an assured camera and shoots beautiful film, but this is the sort of thing that succeeds or fails entirely on the strength of the cast and every one of his actors are superb, particularly those playing Yuichiro and Kiyoko who both turn in beautifully layered performances. As you watch you can't help but become frustrated by how easily Yuichiro escapes criticism for his misbehaviour, but this is - of course – part of the point and the film takes on added depth as he gradually comes to understand the consequences of his actions and, being a good man trying to find his way in a changing world, take responsibility for them.
As strong a film as it may be Bluestockings – the title is a reference to the British woman's movement – is so specifically Japanese, featuring a lesser known director and actors little known outside their home country, that the chances of it receiving a release outside Japan seem unlikely, making the Japanese DVD the only real option. Luckily, it's a good one. The transfer is good and the subtitles clear.
While it is not the sort of thing that draws festival raves and global attention Bluestockings is a very well crafted film, one that captures a fascinating time period in Japanese history, and one well worth a look.
