A Map of the Sounds of Tokyo

With films like the wonderful "My Life Without Me", the somewhat unwieldy "The Secret Life of Words" or the sensual novel adaptation "Elegy", Isabel Coixet has repeatedly demonstrated her talent for unusual stories about intricate emotional worlds. "A Map of the Sounds of Tokyo" also seamlessly follows suit, without giving the impression that Coixet is in any way repeating herself artistically.

The story centers on young Ryu (Rinko Kikuchi), who works night after night at the Tokyo fish market. But the fragile-looking young woman leads a harsh double life: instead of recovering from the rigors of her job by day, she then works as a hit woman. And in this job, too, she does her best. Until she is hired by powerful businessman Nagara to kill wine merchant David (Sergi López), whom he blames for his daughter's suicide. But Ryu falls in love with her potential victim and even engages in an affair with David. But from the very first moment, this relationship threatens to end in disaster...

Due to the very worn, almost letargic production, one might be inclined to add another sound to the map of the sounds of Tokyo: the snoring of the audience. But that wouldn't really do the film justice. For even if Coixet gives her viewers a not really straightforward production and the whole thing sometimes seems rather unwieldy, there is a film full of poetry and beauty well hidden underneath.

From the very beginning, the director makes it clear that she wants to distance herself from the typical Western view of Japan. She achieves this by having her film begin with a Nyotaimori scene. In Nyotaimori, sushi is served on naked women's bodies. This is done in the film for businessmen from the West and even though businessman Nagara is rather uncomfortable with this ritual, he always keeps his composure. Thus, this business dinner is exactly in line with the stereotypes the West has of Japan. But when Nagara learns of his daughter's suicide, it bursts out of him and the pretty set-up collapses.

The images Coixet shows of Tokyo in what follows are fascinating, at times beautiful, at other times disturbing. An old sound engineer who befriends Ryu and, while collecting the sounds of his city, witnesses the love affair between his young acquaintance and the Spanish wine merchant, is virtually representative of the audience, who must watch helplessly as the young woman runs to her doom.

"A Map of the Sounds of Tokyo" is not an easy film. If you can't get into Coixet's storytelling, you'll be overwhelmed by unspeakable boredom wrapped up in pretty pictures, only to end up wondering what it was all about. But if you appreciate sophisticated, slow-told arthouse cinema that thrives more on its multi-layered imagery than dialogue, don't miss this film

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp