Ningen Shikkaku: Beautiful, Picturesque, Meaningful.

 Every once in a while, you see a form of media that just breaks you. It could be an anime, movie, tv show/drama or even a video game, the form doesn't matter, it's the substance that counts. For me personally, one such piece of media that broke me was the 2019 movie, Ningen Shikkaku. I felt a strange connection to Dazai Osamu despite being a different person entirely and have felt some of he goes through within the movie and in real life as well given his tragic passing. Dazai and I have both been within the dark abyss and so I warn readers that the subject of today's writing has topics that may be hard to read and/or watch such as mental illness and depression. 

Ningen Shikaku is based on the 2nd best selling novel ever in Japan by renowned author Dazai Osamu. It was the last completed work of Dazai before his suicide in 1948. It has been labelled a semi autobiographical work as it's lavishly details the life of a man named Oba Yozo and his failures with love, brief foray into Communism and even the fleeting moments of true tenderness within his life. Overall, it's a truly terrifyingly realistic depiction inside the mind of a man who suffered from addiction, alienation and depression as he searches for what it means to be human. Despite being written way back in 1948, the novel is as relevant as ever and will remain timeless. This movie is not the first adaptation of the 1948 masterpiece as it saw a manga, movie and anime back in 2009 and has since been put into the public domain. However, I have to say that the 2019 movie is by far my personal favourite adaptation to date and will be hard to beat in all aspects. 

The movie gets off to a strong and sombre start as we see one of Dazai's failed suicide attempts. This particular attempt being with a 19 year old bar hostess named Shimeko Tamabe. This sets the tone for the rest of the movie as we delve into the haunting, pitiful life of Osamu Dazai or at least this movie's version of it. We come to learn that Dazai is actually a married man and has a son and yet despite this, he comes to seek out other lovers and find tenderness wherever he can. One such person is Shizuko Ota, an aspiring writer and a fan of the renowned author. Dazai begins an affair with Shizuko in one of many of Dazai's questionable and morally unjust decisions. Thus, it's established that the author is not the most ethical, just person but a flawed individual. 

After publishing a novel heavily inspired by Shizuko's diaries titled The Setting Sun, Dazai is heralded as one of Japan's best novelists. Suddenly, Tomoe Yamazaki, a new lover of Dazai's, discovers that Shizuko carried his child. Dazai's life then takes a turn for the worst as he goes back and forth, sharing moments and warmth with his various lovers before discovering that he has contracted a grave illness, tuberculosis. Thus, the author has limited time as he goes around womanising and it all concludes with an unfortunate end. 

Now, the movie's depiction of Dazai Osamu is simply fascinating. As he goes about his ways, it could be argued that Dazai was a manipulator as he was the one who orchestrated the dramatic state of his life, with his experiences with multiple lovers serving as the ultimate inspiration for his writing. It's almost as if he seeks to make something akin to fiction a reality and using his astute observation skills and keen eye for detail, record the results for his works. Despite being the manipulator, he still ultimately forced to follow the women he involved within his personal drama such as Shizuko and more specifically Tomie. His desire for manipulation also in a certain way, leads him. Yet it is this conscious manipulation of others that leads him to be able to write works of renown. Thusly, it could be seen as Dazai putting his writing above everything else, including himself regardless of the thoughts and opinions of others. Tragically, his pursuit of his art left a trail of unfortunate victims in his wake and none more so than his faithful to a fault wife, Michiko Tsushima. Whether or not Dazai truly felt love for the women is questionable as his romantic opportunism calls it into question as does his ability to seemingly take advantage of the women to satisfy his desire for pleasure. 

Despite everything shown in the movie, he doesn't offer a full in depth look into the man that was Dazai Osamu. His troubled nature is even downplayed during a drinking sequence quite disappointingly. It could be argued that the man featured as the main character in the novel, Oba Yozo is comparatively a different person than Dazai, minimizing the addiction as well as his chronic depression could plausibly be seen as a disrespectful thing. However, Shun Oguri as Dazai really portrays Dazai so well that the depression and discontentment for life and death seeps through the screen remarkably as if he were someone I could relate to in a very specific way. 

Mika Ninagawa is fast becoming one of my favourite modern directors. From Diner to Ningen Shikaku, she's fast building a stunning resume of top notch movies with flair, passion and style. Ninagawa shows a balanced cinematographically dynamism and visual flair. Ningen Shikaku makes use of pleasing camera movement whilst knowing when to stop and fix in place to perfectly frame the narrative. Also of note was the simply exquisite colour and lighting design. Compared to the wonderful and extravagant Diner, the colour in Ningen Shikaku is subtle and yet is still pleasing in it's more subdued way. The cinematography was also incredibly pleasing from the scenery with the flowers, mount Fuji, the cherry blossoms and the use of geometry in framing the shots. The costume design as well as the sets were also eye catching and draws you into the period setting wonderfully. 

As far as performances are concerned, Shun Oguri stands out yet again as the renowned author. In a difficult role with plenty of nuance, Shun delivers a captivating performance and oddly enough makes Dazai perhaps a tad bit too likeable considering his affairs and such. I found him to be relatable in a way that could only be explained if you have been to the dark abyss and struggled to find the light. Fumi Nikaido is extraordinary opposite Shun Oguri as Tomie as her emotionality works superbly with Shun's depressive state. She succeeds in bringing out the obsessive and manipulative love Tomie has for Dazai. Also of note are Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenga Kora, Rie Miyazawa and Erika Sawajiri. 

All in all, Ningen Shikkaku is well worth the watch provided you're in a healthy state of mind at the time. It delivers a solid story with all aspects working well together visually and audibly to make a pleasant viewing experience and has a talented cast of stars.