Watches
November 24, 2017
Renowned Asian directors often end up in France instead of Hollywood. I suppose that must be the Cannes effect. Kurosawa is one of the few remaining Japanese directors who enjoys default international exposure, so it's no surprise he eventually made his way to France too. The result is an intriguing little thriller, with no weak points, but no real peaks either.
Stephane lives together with his daughter on a grand estate. He is a photographer who specializes in daguerrotypes, a form of long-exposure photography. After his wife died, Stephane dedicated all his time to this art form, with his daughter being his primary muse. Jean, Stephane's assistant, has a crush on the girl, and he feels sorry for the extended d periods she has to spend posing in front of the camera. They make a plan to run away together.
It's a fun and interesting setup, and Kurosawa's experience as a horror director serves him well to make the photography scenes a tad creepier, but the film firmly remains on the thriller side. The performances are solid, the runtime a little excessive though the plot never gets dull. It's an interesting and quirky addition to Kurosawa's oeuvre, but not a peak film.