Bijitâ Q (2001) (V)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writer:

Itaru Era (writer)

Release Date:

26 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The only thing stranger than this family is... Visitor Q.

Plot:

A father, who is a failed former television reporter tries to mount a documentary about violence and sex among youths...

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Prostitute | Classmate | Television Reporter | Reporter

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Kenichi Endo	...	Kiyoshi Yamazaki / Father
Shungiku Uchida	...	Keiko Yamazaki / Mother
Kazushi Watanabe	...	The visitor
Jun Mutô	...	Takuya Yamazaki / Son
Fujiko	...	Miki Yamazaki / Daughter
Shôko Nakahara	...	Asako Murata
Ikko Suzuki	...	Sasaoka

Also Known As:

Love Cinema Vol. 6 (International: English title) (series title)
Visitor Q (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong aberrant sexual and violent content, language and drug use.

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Japan:R-18 | New Zealand:(Banned) (DVD/VHS release) | New Zealand:R18 (film festival rating) | France:-16 | Germany:18 | USA:R | UK:18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Australia:R | Singapore:(Banned)

Company:

Alphaville

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Keiko is tending to her wounds in front of the mirror.

Quotes:

Kiyoshi Yamazaki: [as the bullies throw fireworks at the house] They're here! Everyone, can you see this? Can you see this?
[taping with camera]
Kiyoshi Yamazaki: This is my home! My home! Did you see that? The big strong bullies are here!
[pans to Keiko]
Kiyoshi Yamazaki: This is my wife! She's a lovely little wife! Dinner was delicious! This is...
[pans to the Visitor]
Kiyoshi Yamazaki: ... I don't know who this is, we're not acquainted! Watch! It's amazing, truly amazing! What a scene! It's unbelievable!
[going back to the fireworks, panning to knife in floor]
Kiyoshi Yamazaki: My wife threw this knife! Everyone, here it is!
[filming the chaos]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remake of Teorema (1968)

Midnite fantasy

Michael Moore once complained that the Japanese are an insular, complicated people. There is a measure of truth in that. But perhaps, as a North American, he is accustomed to loudmouth extroverts who broadcast their every half-cocked thought louder as their audience becomes smaller.

Not so with the Japanese. The social sphere is internalized to a greater extent, without compromising a culture of communication.

How? Bizita Q, for one. The arts have long been an arena of radical deviation from the institutionalized conformity in JPN culture, manga comics and film especially. If nothing else, the artistic license given to filmmakers in Japan makes for emotionally stimulating material that doesn't flinch where most national cinemas do.

As for the film itself, I found it eminently satisfying. I have a taste for the subversive and the fantastic. Which is essentially what this film is, a fantasy. Ever been bullied? What was the most horrible thing you wished would happen to that bully after the fact? Methinks it might resemble something in this film. Japanese schools are notorious for peer abuse, I wouldn't be surprised if the creative staff of this film were acting out imagined scenarios from the safe distance of make believe.