EIKO looks hot in designer clothes, which is one reason Tony Takitani, in the movie bearing his name, is attracted to her.
“She was like a bird taking flight to a distant land,” he gushes after first meeting her.
He’s entering middle age, she’s 15 years younger. They wed anyway. Soon, Eiko’s out-of-control collection of expensive rags fills an entire room in their apartment.
An attempt to kick the habit proves fatal. On a mission to return some clothes, she’s killed in a car accident.
Tony, devastated, hires an Eiko look-alike to wear the dead woman’s clothes. It’s an ill-conceived idea.
“Tony Takitani” is directed by Jun Ichikawa from a story that appeared in The New Yorker.
On-screen, most of the story is told in a hypnotic voice-over that complements the restrained and elegant visuals. The camera effortlessly glides from scene to scene, revealing faultlessly framed shots that consist mostly of just one or two people, their backs often to the camera.
Reserved performances are given by Issey Ogata (as both Tony and his father, a jazz musician scarred by his days in prison) and Rie Miyazawa (as Eiko and her double).
No adventurous filmgoer will want to miss “Tony Takitani.”
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TONY TAKITANI
[****] (Four stars)
Dressed to die. In Japanese, with English subtitles. Running time: 75 minutes. Not rated (mature subject matter). At the Angelika, Houston and Mercer streets.