Notable Cast:
Rei Hirano, Ryo Sato, Mikio Tayama, Ayako Ito
Intimacies is a 4-hour multimedia docufiction journey
through the creation and delivery of a stage play called 'Intimacies'. As a
person who enjoys lengthy, slow-moving films, I assumed this would be an easy
sit for me. Admittedly, I felt the discomfort the characters felt during some
of these meetings leading up to their performance while watching the film
unfold. It really felt like it was dragging its feet at times, even though I
got the point and intention behind it. I know, for a fact, that Hamaguchi masters
this exact concept and feeling with Drive My Car, nearly a decade later,
but this definitely acts as a prototypal piece to that staggering work.
Here the experimental element is what sets it apart. That
may appeal to a certain type of filmgoer, but for me, it just fell apart at
times. While you certainly get very familiar with characters and spend a lot of
time with them, by the end some of them felt just as distanced as they were to
me in the beginning, but again, that very well may be the point. I do think the
standout characters, however, will stick with me for some time to come,
including the leading couple that creates the play themselves. Their arc is so
satisfying, but in ways, I wish to keep a secret for whichever curious reader
may not yet know themselves.
