How am I going to explain, let alone review, a film that is pure and a cinematographic miracle of art in motion? I’ll try.
Kokuho
The film Kokuho is based on the 2018 novel by Shuichi Yoshida. Kokuho is a Japanese historical drama directed by Lee Sang-il and starring Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima, Nin Tanaka, and Ken Watanabe. The story is about kabuki actors. What is kabuki, you ask? Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese theatre that combines dramatic performance with traditional dance. It is performed in beautiful costumes and make-up. The kabuki theatre has been proclaimed by UNESCO as having outstanding universal value. Pay attention, class, because this is where kabuki’s history gets very interesting. Originally, the founder, a former shrine maiden, Izumo no Okuni, had an all-female dance troupe to perform the dances, but in 1629, after women were banned from the performances, men took the female parts in the play. Shakespeare also did this with his plays.
After a renowned kabuki actor, Hanai Hanjiro (Ken Watanabe), visits a theatre frequented by Yakuza (mobsters), the young son of the Tachibana leader performs a kabuki performance. Hanai is so impressed with Kikuo’s (Ryo Yoshizawa) dance that he takes the boy in after the father is assassinated. Kikuo becomes like a brother to Hanai’s son Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama), who is also invested in learning kabuki. Hanai’s wife (Shinobu Terajima) is uncomfortable about the possibility that Kikuo might outshine her son in kabuki. The performances are called onnagata, and it is a big deal with the crown, hopefully being passed down to a family member. Bloodline is highly valued in the world of kabuki, and this is where the drama and betrayal take place.
Raised together, Kikuo and Shunsuke form a brotherly bond as they go through rigorous training. When the boys meet Mangiku (Min Tanaka), considered the living national treasure, Kikuo is given a warning he does not heed… causing him to lose the love of his daughter, Ayano (Kumi Takiuchi).
Conclusion
Kokuho is three hours long, but I never noticed the time, so involved with the drama and the costumes, I wanted more. The men who spend their lives performing kabuki dress in the elaborate costumes of a Geisha. Their training is to believably play the part of a fair maiden with both dance and song. They aren’t gay. They are not drag queens per se, although to me, it is the same type of art form. Kikuo takes to kabuki as blood is to life, but in perfecting his art, he forgets his humanity.
The film spans 50 years, and we viewers are drawn into this beautiful drama like distant family members invited to a celebration, peeking through the stage curtain… leaving us unsure whether what we observe is even humanly possible.
Kokuho is in theatres this Friday.
Granny gives Kokuho a double 5-star rating. You can’t really put a price on beauty.
