Bu Su (1987) - Jun Ichikawa

Jun Ichikawa's deeply empathetic lens constructs an effective examination of loneliness and teenage alienation in Bu Su, a film which beautifully expresses the underlying affect of its central subject. Centered around a young woman who leaves her small village for the urban landscape of Tokyo, Bu Su is a common story of adolescence told with an uncommon emotional intelligence and maturity. Featuring an aesthetic which employs great use of negative space and an empathetic lens which fixates on the stillness and internal conflict of its central subject, Bu Su evokes a sense of longing and sadness which is palatable, deconstructing the malleable and impressionable nature of youth but also something which is intrinsic to the human condition itself - the often implicit search for a sense of belonging in society. Assimilation amongst the milieu of Tokyo-based adolescence provides Ichikawa with an interesting framework to explore his patented themes of alienation and loneliness, and with Bu Su he draws on some interesting thematic ideals, contrasting traditional and modern aspects of culture and society, and suggesting that traditional aspects of culture can offer needed disconnection from the demands of modern life, no matter how fleeting they may be.