#japanese movie

Jokyo (1960)

Can anyone tell me what’s going on in the last part of Oboreru Knife (Live Action Movie)? i.e. From the part when the obsessed fan appeared again. Thank you very much!

?

(warning: spoilers ahead!)

Cast:

Komatsu Nana: Mochizuki Natsume
Suda Masaki: Hasegawa Koichiro, or “Kou”

Oboreru Knife follows the story of teen model in Tokyo Natsume, who had to move to her father’s hometown. Away from the city, Natsume had to deal with her new life in the village, which meant that she could no longer do the things she used to do. 

She then met the mysterious Kou, the heir to a respected family in the village. Kou seemed to be a free-spirit, wandering about even at restricted areas. Deeply attracted to his aura, the two began dating. 

An incident, however, changed their fate.

On the day of a procession in which Kou took part in, Natsume was led away by a family friend, who convinced her that her grandfather was in trouble. He turned out to be an obsessed fan and tried to rape Natsume. Kou went to her rescue but was ultimately unable to do anything, until the other villagers came and rescued her. Since the incident, Natsume blamed Kou for not being able to save her, while Kou blamed himself as well for being unable to protect Natsume.

A new term in school began, and Natsume had fallen from grace. A movie that she had previously been invited to act in was no more, and she became the target of gossip. Kou began mixing around with bad company and was getting nowhere in his life. Each at a standstill in their lives, Natsume and Kou, now broken up, drifted apart from each other.

Ultimately, what I got from this film is that there is always this special someone who you’ll go back to no matter what. Kou was a free-spirit, but aimless in life. Yet, Natsume, who regarded him as her “god”, refused to let go of him. All she ever wanted was to have Kou look only at her. 

Kou wanted Natsume for himself as well. Both of them are imperfect in their own ways, but ultimately they can’t let go of each other.

Both Suda and Komatsu have put up a pretty convincing performance in their film. I felt their pain, their loss, and their attraction to each other. Like all teenage love, their portrayal of their respective roles conveyed the feeling of fleeting romance very well. Suda was especially charismatic in this film, truly living up to his reputation as one of the most talented young actors in Japan.

(I am, however, very confused with the last part of the movie. Was it all a dream? Was it just a movie? Please do let me know if you know what’s going on!)