Diary of a Separation
A Japanese film festival, musings on Depardieu and poetry in cinema
Saturday 2nd February 2019
I went to see The Scythian Lamb today with Ao. It was part of the Japanese Film Festival at the ICA. Interesting premise. If people were ignorant of your past, how would they treat you? What if they knew what you’d got up to in a previous chapter of your life, however? Six strangers arrive in a port town, in northern Japan and blend in the local community straight away. But, things take a turn for the worse, when the official in charge of them becomes suspicious and elements of their back stories emerge.
After the movie, Ao and I went to the Indian Veggie Buffet in Islington, one of my favourite restaurants in London. Was it Depardieu who said something once about women, food and wine? I forget now.
I’m teetotal, though.
Thursday 7th February 2019
In the film Pumpkin and Mayonnaise, young Tsuchida slaves away at a seedy, host club in order to support her unemployed, musician boyfriend. A chance encounter with a previous partner makes her reconsider life and its priorities. It was a good movie, but a bit too simple. By contrast My Friend “A” threw up a few questions about ethics and journalism. A reporter…
