"Cutie and the Boxer" has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary (full-length) and this is why I chose to watch it. This is not the sort of picture I would normally chose, though I love documentaries.
The film is about a very strange family of bohemian artists living in New York. Ushio Shinohara is a struggling artist who reached 80 during the filming. He seems to have a strong penchant for making odd sculptures of motorcycles as well as murals he makes by donning boxing gloves and strapping sponges to them and then punching the canvas with paint on them. For the most part, his art seems to be 'outsider art'--stuff that has not sold well and his wife and son have lived in relatively primitive conditions. As for the wife, Noriko, she is much younger and came to the US for her art. However, she soon met Ushio and pretty much gave up on her career to take care of Ushio and their son. It appears as if taking care of Ushio is pretty much a full-time job, though now that they are older, Noriko is returning to her art and making work that appears similar to that of Jean Cocteau.
While I have described the couple briefly, I wasn't particularly interested in their art nor did I particularly like them. I hope this isn't the purpose of the film, as it didn't instill these feelings in me. Instead, I at least appreciated it on a sociological level. The idea of a talented woman completely subjugating herself and her art in favor of the man and his career is interesting...and a bit sad.
So did I like the film? No. But I did appreciate the filmmakers' work. There were some interesting camera-work (particularly with the swimming scene) and it must have taken a lot of work following the family...as well as patience. All in all, I didn't see in the film what most other reviewers or the AMPAS (the Oscar folks) people saw in the film. It was just okay and just left me pretty flat. Of the other nominees, "The Act of Killing" and "The Square" are much, much more engaging and impressive films. So is "Dirty Wars". I have not yet seen the final nominee, "20 Feet From Stardom".
UPDATE: Saw "20 Feet From Stardom". It was fun but took zero risks and did not impress me...and it took home the Oscar.
The film is about a very strange family of bohemian artists living in New York. Ushio Shinohara is a struggling artist who reached 80 during the filming. He seems to have a strong penchant for making odd sculptures of motorcycles as well as murals he makes by donning boxing gloves and strapping sponges to them and then punching the canvas with paint on them. For the most part, his art seems to be 'outsider art'--stuff that has not sold well and his wife and son have lived in relatively primitive conditions. As for the wife, Noriko, she is much younger and came to the US for her art. However, she soon met Ushio and pretty much gave up on her career to take care of Ushio and their son. It appears as if taking care of Ushio is pretty much a full-time job, though now that they are older, Noriko is returning to her art and making work that appears similar to that of Jean Cocteau.
While I have described the couple briefly, I wasn't particularly interested in their art nor did I particularly like them. I hope this isn't the purpose of the film, as it didn't instill these feelings in me. Instead, I at least appreciated it on a sociological level. The idea of a talented woman completely subjugating herself and her art in favor of the man and his career is interesting...and a bit sad.
So did I like the film? No. But I did appreciate the filmmakers' work. There were some interesting camera-work (particularly with the swimming scene) and it must have taken a lot of work following the family...as well as patience. All in all, I didn't see in the film what most other reviewers or the AMPAS (the Oscar folks) people saw in the film. It was just okay and just left me pretty flat. Of the other nominees, "The Act of Killing" and "The Square" are much, much more engaging and impressive films. So is "Dirty Wars". I have not yet seen the final nominee, "20 Feet From Stardom".
UPDATE: Saw "20 Feet From Stardom". It was fun but took zero risks and did not impress me...and it took home the Oscar.