This movie stunningly depicts the power of focus, listening, and patience.
When journalist Keiko (Kumaki Kunihara) travels to Borneo to research the forced prostitution of Japanese women in the early 1900s, an old lady offers a tip on what to try at a noodle shack. The halting alliance builds to one of stunning power and meaning.
I'm a big fan of world film, but I'd never heard of director Kei Kumai, and this movie leaves me eager to see more of his work. It begins slowly and unassumingly, building to great psychological depth, with superb casting and quiet, moving performances.
Kinuyo Tanaka is wonderful as Osaki-san, who at 14 tearfully leaves home in a little boat, hoping to make money overseas to send back to her impoverished family, and clueless to the horrors awaiting her.
Ms. Kunihara also excels here. I questioned her ethics as she gently probed for information, yet the bond that builds, because Keiko is willing to take her time, transcends such concerns. Sometimes stealth is the only way to the truth.
I've been trying to remember how I found out about this film, wracking my brain, having stumbled upon its mention online. I'm grateful I did. "Brothel" makes a good companion piece to "Manila in the Claws of Light," released just a year later, and which I found even more powerful.
Men, before exploiting women, remember your deep connections with half the human race -- your daughters, sisters, and moms!
When journalist Keiko (Kumaki Kunihara) travels to Borneo to research the forced prostitution of Japanese women in the early 1900s, an old lady offers a tip on what to try at a noodle shack. The halting alliance builds to one of stunning power and meaning.
I'm a big fan of world film, but I'd never heard of director Kei Kumai, and this movie leaves me eager to see more of his work. It begins slowly and unassumingly, building to great psychological depth, with superb casting and quiet, moving performances.
Kinuyo Tanaka is wonderful as Osaki-san, who at 14 tearfully leaves home in a little boat, hoping to make money overseas to send back to her impoverished family, and clueless to the horrors awaiting her.
Ms. Kunihara also excels here. I questioned her ethics as she gently probed for information, yet the bond that builds, because Keiko is willing to take her time, transcends such concerns. Sometimes stealth is the only way to the truth.
I've been trying to remember how I found out about this film, wracking my brain, having stumbled upon its mention online. I'm grateful I did. "Brothel" makes a good companion piece to "Manila in the Claws of Light," released just a year later, and which I found even more powerful.
Men, before exploiting women, remember your deep connections with half the human race -- your daughters, sisters, and moms!