Symbolism in a lyrical landscape of cinematography; The cycle of life in Takeshi Kitano´s Dolls (2002)
The film Dolls (2002, Takeshi Kitano) could be described as Kitano's (b. 1947) most visually astounding and painterly film (Harwood, 2017). It consists of three stories, each with different characters with distinct stories. The film opens and closes with a bunraku performance, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre where dolls act out a chanted dramatic narrative. The bunraku performance in the film mentioned above acts out a love-suicide-themed narrative and serves as a metaphorical foundation for the rest of the story, where we get the feeling that Kitano is visually and emotionally controlling the strings of his characters by their somewhat selfish actions (Jagernauth, 2005). The film is not in strict chronological order; therefore, each scene is not necessarily meant to be taken causally with the next. Kitano mentions that the film is quite symbolic and can be treated as a bunraku in film form (Jagernauth, 2005), which raises an interesting question. What is the film's underlying theme, and what symbols represent that theme?
In the first story, a young woman, Sawako (Miho Kanno), is heartbroken and attempts suicide after her lover Matsumoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima) breaks off their engagement because of his parents' pressure to marry the daughter of his company's president. Sawako ends up with brain damage, leading Matsumoto to be consumed with guilt. He takes her out of the hospital and runs away, hoping to restore her memory. They encounter dangerous situations, and Matsumoto physically connects them with a long red rope around their waists so he can follow wherever she goes and watch over her (Jagernauth, 2005).
Early on, the pair wears costumes similar to those used in Bunraku theatre but still in modern clothing. As their story progresses, the costumes slowly become full-on bunraku costumes. A prominent aspect of their story is the two, tied together, walking through the seasons in an almost aerial perspective. Here, visual perception can be compared to the effects of being in an ethereal space (Pöppel et al., 2016, p. 1). Space is paired with vivid colours and the absence of shadows, shot in outdoor high-key lighting, which creates a dynamic emotion and contrasts with the costume's colours. In spring, they walk surrounded by Yoshino Cherry Trees(figure 1). The pink colour of the flowers creates a visual contrast with Sawako's yellow costume. Another season is depicted with red maple leaves flowing around, which give a sense of autumn and time passing. Here, Sawako wears a red costume. Snow creates a dramatic contrast with the red rope and the red maple leaves paired with white (snow) on the ground as winter comes, and they are still walking. We feel a strong emphasis on the cycle of nature. In the end, we see them taking on the role of puppets as they are now fully clothed in the colourful costumes of Bunraku, and the two lovers follow the tragic ending of the play.
Figure 1: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, http://www.ondacinema.it//film/recensione/dolls.html.
Kitano mentions that Yohji Yamamoto's costumes inspired him to implement bunraku theatre in his film. He wanted to consolidate the film's concept into a story conceived by bunraku puppets featuring human characters, so the costumes in the film serve as a means to interpret concepts like death and sadness (Jagernauth, 2005). Clothing plays a significant function as a symbol in the characterization. The asymmetrical silhouette represents a directionless movement in life. Matsumoto's mismatched and unfitted wool suit also shows a lack of direction. The rough texture of the fabrics appears worn down, reflecting that trauma shapes their relationship (Harwood, 2017)(figure 2).
Figure 2: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, https://genkinahito.wordpress.com/2016/03/14/dolls-%E3%83%89%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BA-2002/.
In Sawako's dream scene, we see complementary colours in dark shadows, with prominent greens, pinks, yellows, and blues. We see a still of the moon while she sleeps. A still depicting a moon is shown twice in Sawako's and Matsumoto's stories. In one scene, it is a waxing moon, and in Sawako's dream scene, we see a full moon. Many masks are presented in her dream, similar to those used in the Bunraku theatre. We also see her tied to the red rope, being dragged off by three men pulling the rope. Another still appears where a cardboard kimono draped over a dead fish is shown. In other scenes from their story, especially night scenes, there are many neon colours, pink being a prominent one, creating a stark contrast with the night as a background (figure 3).
Figure 3: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, https://www.twipu.com/Women_In_Film_/tweet/1174338510872043520.
As was mentioned before, there are two stills in this story where we see the moon. Generally, the moon symbolizes multiplicity because of the fragmentary nature of its phases. Here we might see a connection with Sawako's condition as she has a brain injury, indicating that she is fragmented. Her personality is different from what it was. The moon as a symbol is also related to the resurrection; when spring follows upon winter, flowers appear after the frost, and the crescent moon grows out of the new moon. There is also a mythic belief that the moon's phase is connected to a person's death and reincarnation. Death is, therefore, not an ending but something cyclical in nature. Also, the idea of a journey to the moon after death is a belief preserved in some cultures (Cirlot, 2001, pp. 215-216). In Dolls (2002), Sawako blows through a mouthpiece, making a small ball jump up and down. In that particular still, where we see the full moon, it is shot in a way that seems like something is jumping at the moon, trying to reach it (figure 4).
Figure 4: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, https://www.google.com/search?q=dolls+2002+the+moon&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiz_ZyOjeXlAhUzoVwKHVxiDXYQ_AUIEigB&biw=1142&bih=613#imgrc=ilcdCuOJa5geTM.
On two occasions, there is a close-up of a motionless, red and black coloured butterfly on the ground. Sawako is looking at it in the hospital after she suffered from brain trauma. We see the same butterfly again when Matsumoto runs over it with his car after visiting her in the hospital. The butterfly has been viewed as a symbol of the unconscious mind being attracted to light. The meaning is more connected to life than a state beyond earthly existence. It has also been regarded as a symbol of rebirth. In Eastern philosophy, the meaning is tied to marriage and conjugal bliss. In the film under discussion, we might, therefore, be able to interpret the dead butterfly as the absence of Sawoko's unconscious mind or perhaps as the trauma of hers and Matsumoto's relationship (Cirlot, 2001, p. 35).
In the second story, Kitano presents Hiro (Tatsuya Mihashi), a young man working in a factory who is in love with Ryoki (Chieko Matsubara). She brings him lunch every day (figure 4). Hiro has to leave as the factory is facing bankruptcy. He promises he will come back for her once he has attained fortune. She promises to return each day where they usually meet and wait for him. The story then fasts into the future, where we find Hiro, now an older man and a yakuza boss, returning to their meeting place and finding his love there. We find out she has kept her word by returning to the park daily with his lunch. The colour red comes up in a scene where blood is shown on a red floor when we see a shooting among members of the yakuza gang. Red is also prominent in some of the characters' clothing. Shortly before Hiro is shot dead, we see him sitting in his house and conversing with his friends. In that scene, we see a shot of several swimming orange and white fish (seemingly Koi fish) in a pond in his garden (Jagernauth, 2005) (figure 5). This is the second time we see a close-up of fish in the film (after Sawako's dream scene)
In some cultures, fish are regarded as animals spinning out the cycle of life after the pattern of the lunar zodiac (Cirlot, 2001, pp. 106-107). Various Koi fish are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor Koi ponds or gardens, which we see in the story of Hiro and Kyoki. The Koi fish is a symbol of strength and masculinity in Japan. It is known there as the "warrior's fish" (Lane, "Koi Fish"). Interestingly, Hiro and his other yakuza friends look at themselves as fighters or warriors. The fish swim in the scene shot at Hiro's house/garden, but the fish appears dead in Sawako's dream scene.
Figure 4: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, https://www.google.com/search?q=dolls+2002+&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi5jJXtyOXlAhX86-AKHS1jCWwQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=dolls+2002+&gs_l=img.3..0i30j0i5i30l4j0i8i30j0i24l4.60354.62151..62961...0.0..0.177.1228.10j3......0....1..gws-wiz-img.P1xXN7HpcVQ&ei=rh3LXbn9E_zXgwetxqXgBg&bih=662&biw=1142#imgrc=p3-xhYNTzSNZiM.
Figure 5: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, Still.
The final story revolves around a romance between a pop star named Haruna (Kyoko Fukada) and her fan. Her face becomes disfigured after a car accident, and she retreats from the spotlight, refusing to speak to anyone. One particular fan Nukui (Tsutomu Takeshige), is desperate to meet her and commits the horrifying act of blinding himself to attain that goal. She agrees to meet him because he cannot see her face (Jagernauth, 2005). Neon lights are prominent, especially in the night scenes. Another flower-dominant scene in the film comes here after seeing Sawoko's and Matsumoto's story (figure 6). Nukui and Haruna walk in a sea of red and white roses. (Interestingly, in the film's first scene, we hear the person who narrates the female character in the bunraku theatre mention flowers in connection with tears). We find Nukui passed away in a pool of blood, and the red colour is emphasized because the director lingers in the shot, so the viewer keeps looking at the red's brightness as it is being scrubbed off the street.
Figure 6: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0330229/mediaviewer/rm2428182784.
In addition to the red colour being prominent in the mise en scène, it ties some scenes together in the film. A red maple leaf is shown when someone is dying. There is a sense of the leaf being representative of something cyclical, as can be seen when it flows down a river after Hiro dies. The colours in nature, costumes and the bright neon colours shot in the dark- or night scenes make us sense emotional attributes in colours, a method derived from German expressionism and surrealism (when it comes to colours). The method uses exaggerated colour in the scene to interpret strong emotion, something beyond the senses, and something subjective (Corrigan & White, 2018, p. 333).
Symbols such as the fish mentioned above, the moon, the butterfly, flowers, colour and costumes seem to have similar signifié in Dolls (2002) as all of them can be understood as something indicating the natural cycle of life, death, and sadness perhaps because most of them are a part of nature.
The film itself is cyclical, which can be seen in the Bunraku theatre, where it begins and ends. The non-narrative causes us to visit the scene more emotionally as each state in the relationship reveals changes and contrasts when paired with the next scene. It surprises us and gives us a sense of nostalgia (Hurrell, 2016); for instance, when Sawako and Matsumoto are seen walking tied with the red rope, a flashback appears, showing them together in the snow in wintertime before they were engaged, which corresponds to the season where the scene flashbacks. A prominent negative space filled with snow binds the two scenes together.
Selfishness is a common theme in all three stories. Matsumoto ends up marrying the boss's daughter, not just because of his parents but also to attain his own material goals and secure his future. Hiro is similarly consumed with a desire for a secure life when he leaves his love and searches for fortune. It is not just about providing for his girlfriend. Haruna depicts selfishness when she decides to retrieve away from her fans and hide her face. Those fans were people who helped her attain her fortune. The jilted lovers of the characters mentioned above are all emotionally scarred by the actions of their loved ones and struggle to cope in life. Therefore, the sense of loss and turmoil is also a pronounced theme in the film (Jagernauth, 2005).
Kitano talks about the characters being selfish but says he prefers to look at their actions from a nonjudgemental point of view. He talks about fate in the film and how people are only sometimes equipped to make the right choices for themselves. He also mentions that death is too often viewed as horrifying or romanticized to him when it is a normal part of our existence. He wanted to present a tranquil atmosphere around the subject, but still, it is connected to sadness and trauma because that is the reality of life. He says there is another side to the tragic surface of the story, like two sides of the same coin, and therefore, people will perceive the story differently. It depends on the individual's stance on life and tragedy. Some might not even view the film as tragic. He did not want to control how the audience experienced the film. It was important to him to create a visually pleasing film where he could experiment for the first time with vivid colours and Japanese nature to evoke something in the viewer (NYC BLOCKS, 2018).
References
Bao, Y., Fang, Y., Lin, X., Lei, Q., Pöppel, E., Wang, Y., & Yang, T. (2016). Aesthetic preferences for eastern and western traditional visual art: Identity matters. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01596
Cirlot, J.E. (2001). A dictionary of symbols, (J. Sage, Trans.). London, England: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
Corrigan, T., & White, P. (2018). The film experience: An introduction. Boston, Massachusetts: Bedford/St. Matin´s.
Harwood, T. (2017). A story in 3 parts: A study of Takeshi Kitano´s cinematic style [Webpage]. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.grailed.com/drycleanonly/takeshi-kitano-cinematic-style
Jagernauth, K. (2005). Dolls (2002) [Webpage]. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.popmatters.com/dolls-dvd-2496235915.html
Koi fish meaning [Webpage]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.koi-pond-guide.com/koi-fish-meaning.html
L Hurrell (2016, March 14). Review: Dolls (2002) [Web log comment]. Retrieved from https://www.filmdoo.com/blog/2016/03/14/film-review-dolls-2002/
NYC BLOCKS. (2018, September 12). Takeshi Kitano interview on making of dolls [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOqLWN8STw