Tokyo Noise

Colour, 35 mm
Sweden, Finland, 2002, 80 min
Section: A Musical Odyssey

Synopsis

Tokyo at the beginning of the 21st century, its inhabitants and artists. An observation and diagnosis of the modern Japanese metropolis: the singularity of unusual creative individuals is merely a response to the majority Japanese society. Even this can appear as an eccentric work of art. So where do the borders lie? A psychologist talks about the autistic way of life burgeoning in the dense population of the country. A noise musician speaks of her inspiration from sado-masochistic bondage as an art form. A programmer specialising in computer games assures us: I can distinguish our world and “the other side”! Why are the robots in Japanese comic books almost always affable and positive characters? Will “love hotels”, the unique designer havens for sexual experiences, become extinct in the future? Photographer Nobuyoshi Araki sees noise as one of the fundamental aspects of Tokyo life. Another man sets out for Mount Fuji for the 34th time to try to photograph the passing of time. A stirring film testimony about music and much else besides, with images spanning inconsolable anxiety and meditative tranquility.

About the director

Scriptwriter and director Kristian Petri, cameraman and director Jan Röed and director Johan Söderberg are key names in the world of Swedish documentary filmmaking and experimental film. Kristian Petri’s films have won awards at Cannes (Once Upon a Time, The Crack). Petri and Röed teamed up previously to make Tong Tana and Atlanten, Söderberg is a member of the film and multi-media group Lucky People Center (Lucky People International).