Émotion (1966)

"The roar of the dark sea is so far away yet I can still hear it"

Just when I thought I’d already seen Obayashi’s strangest film, he said, “Hold my beer.” I watched the short film, Emotion, twice and am still not sure I understand it. The acting was okay, the story surreal. What was amazing was the maddeningly creative editing Obayashi concocted like a sorcerer who had inhaled too many mushrooms in his dark laboratory.

Emi is a young woman who lives by the sea and yearns to see more of the world. When she moves to the big city she meets mysterious Sari. They become fast friends until the day the man Sari loves falls in love with Emi. Sari gives in to the dark nature of her family…a family descended from vampires. At least I think that’s what happened. Lol

I cannot fathom how many editing cuts and splices were made for this film. Obayashi used every camera angle and trick available at the time. I caught more of the special effects the second time I watched it. Much like a silent film, the characters rarely spoke out loud. A voiceover in English and Japanese narrated the film. Intertitles occasionally appeared with the speed of a subliminal mind-altering torture. Poetry was spouted almost continually which elaborated more on emotions than plot. Different frames were bathed in solitary colors or simply black and white. Swirling, rocking scenes could be nausea inducing. You never knew what might appear next-bubbles, a random dog passing through, a dancing vampire with an umbrella, or a wild west shoot-out. Contemporary 1960’s music alternated with traditional music which added to the fanciful atmosphere.
To top everything off, behind the scenes footage was also used.

Much of the film could have been a dream or a young woman’s descent into madness. Coming of age, sexual awakening, friendship, desire, heartbreak, and jealousy all made an appearance. I’m not sure if incest or passing along the vampiric “gift” was shown. And whether a couple of scenes were about losing one’s innocence or rape.

Emotion was a complete mood film even if I wasn’t always sure what mood was being evoked at breakneck speed. It was an intriguing work of art more than compelling story. The short running time worked to the film’s advantage as it could be dizzyingly exhausting. Obayashi wasn’t afraid to inject humor throughout---never thought I’d see a vampire drink someone’s blood with a straw. If you are looking for something strange and different, Emotion qualifies on both counts.

"Do you like the sound of footsteps on the fallen leaves? Come. Night is falling."

26 October 2024
Trigger warnings: Suicide. Partial nudity.

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