Subarashiki Sekai is a brilliant character study about an ex-convict's attempts to reintegrate into a changed society.

 

I know that most of my blog posts when it comes to movies focus on the action genre and thus, I thought it'd be a good idea to branch out a little and cover something from a different genre. Anybody that knows me, knows that I love Yakuza movies and whilst I was looking through a selection of movies in that subgenre, I came across the drama movie known as Subarashiki Sekai. Subarashiki Sekai was based on the 1990 novel, Mibuncho by author Ryuzo Saki. The movie itself was directed and written by Miwa Nishikawa. 

After serving a 13 year prison sentence for murder, ex-Yakuza member Masuo Mikami, known as the brawler of Kobe, is finally released. He returns to his old stomping ground, Tokyo and is met by his sponsor, lawyer Tsutomu Soji. With Soji's guidance Mikami attempts to reintegrate into society and live life as an ordinary citizen. He also tries to find his long lost mother who had left him at an orphanage as a child and contacts a tv show in order to aid in his search. During a stay in hospital, he is approached by a young TV director, Tsunoda, who informs Mikami that he will be in charge of making the documentary. 

Subarashiki Sekai is a character study of the highest quality. Its focus is on Mikami's attempts to return to society after having spent half of his life in prison as well as his struggles to adapt to changes in his way of life and in society in general. We see how the disciplined, military-like, structured regime of a life in prison being absent on the outside really makes him struggle to find a meaningful purpose and direction. Despite being skilled at things such as sewing, he cannot quite find a suitable job that will hire him. 

During his job hunting and even when his sponsor attempts to help him gain Welfare benefits, he is often rejected by the bureaucratic system due to his Yakuza past. He views this as being unfair as he is just trying to blend into society as the average citizen would. He's constantly judged for his past actions and life in the Yakuza by people who know very little about him as a person and don't trust that his past is fully behind him. This draws out aggression from Mikami as he resorts to his old Yakuza ways and he shouts down people whom he feels has wronged him. He also resorts to confrontation with some troublemakers, bringing up his nickname and asking about which family his adversary belonged to.  

With Mikami's situation in mind, it seems to be evident that a lot of criminals go back to a life of crime because they are unable to live a normal live due to society rejecting them. It does beg the question of whether prisons adequately prepare inmates for the arduous task of reintegration into society, especially after extended periods of jail time. Sponsors may not be enough even if they try their best to help guide ex-convicts down the right path. 

There's also Mikami's internal trauma that has haunted him ever since he was a child. His mother abandoning him at such a young age still affects him in his later years and just the brief glimpse of a tv program in which a mother explains her reasoning behind giving her child away is enough to invoke a strong emotional reaction from the ex-Yakuza. The same could be said for his reaction to his sponsor's wife offering him a seconds or noodles like a mother figure would, although his reaction could also have been due to her sheer open warmth and welcoming. It's also implied that this trauma is the root cause of what led Mikami down the criminal path. 

I love the cinematography in Subarashiki Sekai. Mika Nishikawa's direction and Norimichi Kasamatsu's skillfull camera work ensure that the drama unfolds in a beautiful way despite a heavy usage of static shots. The straightforwardness of the shots and their compositions actually felt rather refreshing and sincere in a sense as it really highlighted the impactful dialogue. 

That's not to say that there are no dynamic shots at all, as there are some breathtakingly picturesque slow panning shots that showcase the Japanese city landscape of Tokyo exceptionally well. By having the majority of shots be static, these moving shots really pop out so much more, making them a visual treat. My favourite stand out shot of the movie was a slow panning shot that focused on the Tokyo Tower, the shot started by showing only the tower and nearby buildings before panning out to show more of the city lit up by lights at night. 

Also, there's a subtle use of colour. More accurately, the colours are subdued and lack vividness. This neat usage of colour underlines the movie with the dim colours reflecting Mikami's struggles at adapting to his new found freedom and the surrounding lack of acceptance in society. 

Koji Yakusho is simply tremendous as the ex-Yakuza struggling to fit into society and life a normal life as an ordinary citizen, Masuo Mikami. He was able to handle the complexity needed for the emotional beats of a man shunned by those around him. He was convincing as an old gangster and as an older gentleman that just wanted to life a normal life. He definitely made me sympathetic towards him and his performance is key to the movie succeeding. 

Masami Nagasawa looks stunning in white and delivered a solid performance as Haruka Yoshizawa. She made me laugh when she listened in on Mikami's job interview over the phone by peeking through his mailbox/opening in his door. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and thought that it might just be the best drama released in 2021. It told a great story, had a strong message without resorting to beating the audience over the head with it and some fantastic acting. It gets a strong recommendation from me!