Keisuke Yoshida's "Intolerance" is a clever film, and not just in how it handles the response of a community to a tragic death, but in how it avoids cliches of grief porn that can run riot in films of this nature.
Her parents divorced, teenage Kanon (Aoi Ito) lives with her old-fashioned and angry father Mitsuru (Arata Furuta). Trying to combat her more liberal mother Shoko (Tomoko Tabata), Mitsuru forbids many modern pursuits, leading Kanon to get caught up in shoplifting make-up at a store run by Naoto (Tori Matsuzaka). Chased, Kanon runs in front of a car driven by a young woman (Masumi Nomura), before being crushed under a lorry.
A wave of intolerance then sweeps through the small community, with local press targeting Naoto and his store; as does Mitsuru in his harassment and accusations. Though Mitsuru himself becomes a target, as his angry and erratic behaviour is witnessed. A knock-on effect throughout sees everyone become a victim, but also far from blameless, in a community that has failed a young girl.
In a film that starts with a tragic death, resulting in a funeral where an unwanted face sparks an angry reaction, one would be forgiven for thinking this could walk the road of many a film that is devoid of humour and brightness, becoming and endless string of overly-emotional tirades. But Yoshida very quickly steers us away from this path, down a more comedic and ingenious one.
Somewhat out of character, Mitsuru seems almost amused by the way his daughter died, wanting more to make sure Naoto doesn't forget about what happened. He stalks the store and follows Naoto wherever he goes, quitting his work to do so. He has become single-minded in this pursuit, ignoring Shoko's pleas and apologies from the young driver, and Furuta plays him with a tightrope walking glee, from the playful to the angry.
The seemingly mild Naoto falls into a depression, with his cheerful employee Asako (Shinobu Terajima) constantly trying to bring him out of his funk. But he rejects her constant niceness, eventually pushing her to show her own permanently hidden frustrations. The vicious cycle of abuse towards others when trying to apologise or help is the key theme from Yoshida's own experiences. When in moments of distress, it is easier to lash out at others, rather than have patience and take their support with good grace.
While not an intentional comedy, one can only find humour in how the scenario plays out from an outside perspective. Each person sees their life crumble as a result of their response to others, instantly taking a negative view of their intentions. As one bad turn creates another, you have to smile at human folly.
But there is a serious side to this as well. Each realises the need to take time to reflect, rather than simply react. It was Mitsuru's ignorance of his daughter's life that created the whole scenario in the first place, pushing both his wife and daughter away, until they are gone for good. Each character is a caricature - either overly angry, overly polite or overly meek - as is the way in a tragedy, but their reactions feel natural, and the transfer of anger something we can all relate to.
What Yoshida creates therefore, is a clever tragedy, that will make you crack a smile, but also hit hard with some home truths, in the same way the lorry hit Kanon with full force.
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