SONATINE (ソナチネ)

Directed by: Takeshi Kitano
Country of origin: Japan
Starring: Beat Takeshi, Aya Kokumai, Tetsu Watanabe, Ken Osugi
Music by: Joe Hisaishi


It was only appropriate for me to pair my viewing of HANA-BI with its sister film, Takeshi Kitano's subtle precursor Sonatine. The film is a very typical specimen of Kitano's signature works, involving many of the same themes, motifs, and techniques as most of his films, old and new. But Sonatine holds a special place in his filmography, marking the beginning of a new level of filmmaking that Kitano would begin to undertake. In his early films Violent Cop, Boiling Point, and even the atypical A Scene at the Sea, Kitano approached the very simplistic stories with very simplistic methods of editing and directing. Not to say that this was necessarily a bad thing; on the contrary, Kitano's earlier films were just as fresh to their audiences as his later gems were. But with those preceding three, in nearly all aspects of the film, Kitano took it easy, seeming to tread softly as he gained his footing in the world of screenwriting and directing. But in 1993, Sonatine debuted alongside a newfound sense of entitlement in Kitano's style. Sonatine had an intellectual story, one that relied less on surprising brutal violence and more on thematic methods of cinematic story telling. Although Kitano's signature touches (yakuza endeavors, established motifs, frequent comic relief) were still very much present, the film's purpose seemed more mature, in both its narrative and its general direction.

Innocent fun with an undeniably violent undertone

Sonatine is not a movie-goer's kind of movie. Like many of Kitano's films beyond Sonatine, the predominant message is not entirely clear. One would not necessarily understand the film if only the visuals and dialogue were taken into shallow account. Sonatine is not a Transformers or a Twilight; it's not a mindless film meant to thrill its viewers with cheap spectacles. It relies more on thematic elements like symbolism and subtle analogies to make its true points, and without the right approach, many may find Sonatine to be relatively bland. But on the contrary, the amount of meaning that exists behind those elements is astounding. Very much like HANA-BI, Sonatine has layers of possible interpretations. Words that best describe its approach may be ones like contemplative, methodic, and perhaps even avant garde. Sonatine has very little dialogue and relies more on quality acting and Hisaishi's score, which is like none other the master has ever composed. As seasoned yakuza Murakawa begins to tire of the gangster life, he takes advantage of a mission to Okinawa and decides to vacate his violent profession for the time being. Taking his men along with him, they settle down into a cottage on the beach and enjoy life for a few days. Sonatine is almost like a black comedy, Kitano reverting back to his gag roots. It seems to critique the lifestyle and morals that the yakuza practice by comparing them to childish games. Murakawa and the gang begin to have fun, playing with the frisbee, having a Sumo wrestling match, singing and dancing, and even having a Roman candle war. But amidst the obvious fun that the men are expressively having, there is an obvious presence of danger. A gun is nearly always involved in these games, typically being there for some sort of sadist, suicidal reason. The gunshots almost seem to act as music, as a different language. In the film's famous scene, Murakawa plays a game a Russian Roulette and beams as he pulls the trigger with the last chamber. There ends up being no bullets in the barrel at all, but he later dreamt about the ordeal, beaming as he pulled the trigger and killed himself. This sense of violence is present in each one of their childish games, but despite this, the audience laughs. Kitano masked this danger well, and because of that, something on screen that would normally make us cringe makes us smile. This is a feat that Kitano will continue to achieve in his films even today.

Sonatine's message seems very open to interpretation, and in the end I think the film means something different to each person. To me, the film was relaxing. With Hisaishi's child-like tone and the stoic jokes that make up the film's body, I found myself laughing and watching intently the entire time. But when the character that you grow so fond of are suddenly killed off, and Murakawa barely bats an eye, you and the protagonist are instantly transported back into the real, violent world. Kitano's Sonatine is eccentric, surprising, and new, and because of this it has become a cult classic in America, one of the 90's significant foreign arthouse classics. It seems to breathe a relaxed sense of life. It begins by establishing a tense tone of brutal violence and angry men seeking to vex their manliness. But upon arrival to the ocean, Kitano's ultimate signature motif, those inhibitions melt away and we are left with the mindset that is Sonatine. The word "sonatine" is itself a great definition of what the film stands for: "a piece of music containing shorter movements and demanding less technical aspects than a sonata". Sonatine is simple, and although its message will be vague for many, the film seeks to do nothing less than inspire its audience. The purpose is close to Kitano, the film seeming to be the incarnation of many deep thoughts of the auteur. Sonatine is a moving piece and the first great work of a master filmmaker.

***** / *****