Fantastic Fest 2008

Brief Summary:
In Gô Shibata’s controversial film, Masakiyo Sumida, a severely disabled mute, is driven to madness and violence by his loneliness and isolation.

Full Description:
Gô Shibata’s controversial 2004 film LATE BLOOMER (Osoi Hito) appeared on the international festival circuit a few years ago to much acclaim but soon fell off the map. Now, this poignant story of a disabled man driven to madness by isolation and loneliness is ready to be discovered by a brand new audience. Similarly themed films have both preceded (Chang-dong Lee’s OASIS) and followed (Crispin Glover’s IT IS FINE! EVERYTHING IS FINE!) Shibata’s work but there is no adequate cinematic frame of reference for the way LATE BLOOMER explores disability and the frailty of the human body.

In this fictional tale, Masakiyo Sumida, a severely disabled mute, portrays himself. Sumida is surrounded by friends but his handicap cuts off his ability to fully interact with them. He falls in love with Nobuku, who becomes Sumida's helper for her college thesis project. Nobuku exploits Sumida and becomes involved with his friend, Takei. Sumida finds refuge in alcohol, and the resulting hallucinations drive him to acts of violence.

LATE BLOOMER begins as a story of a disabled man working his way through life with the help of friends. However, his smile is an immovable mask that covers his heartache and pain. The link that LATE BLOOMER draws between this internal suffering, which is rooted in helplessness, and violence is both disturbing and moving. The film’s black-and-white photography is well-suited for such stark content. The hallucination sequences, which are full of quick cuts and sputtering electronic music, recall the video work of Chris Cunningham; one can also detect hints of Sogo Ishii’s ELECTRIC DRAGON 60000V, and Shinya Tsukamoto’s TETSUO: THE IRON MAN throughout.

LATE BLOOMER is, at times, difficult to watch but the film is never exploitative. Those who open up to the film will be subject to an emotionally powerful experience. (Rodney Perkins)