Curiously enough though, that all those interviewed were couples where the guy is a foreigner, not the female, so I'm not sure if it's an accurate representation of what the demographics are actually like in Japan. It begins almost documentary like, with Ue interviewing a myriad of couples who are into relationships with someone non-Japanese. While it's a theme that's not new, it's the approach that director Kazuaki Ue took with a whimsically fresh look and feel that will win you over, despite falling for the usual clichés as it builds toward an expected finale.
GAIJIN TRAINSLATION SERIES
Given that she is herself a big fan of the TV dramas I find unfathomable, I'd say that is damning criticism.īased on a manga series written by Saori Oguri (portrayed by Mao Inoue in this film version) about her own life with husband Tony Laszio (Jonathan Sherr), My Darling is a Foreigner takes on a delightful look at this thing called love that's to overcome the challenges of a cross- cultural and language barrier. The Japanese female who watched the film with me called My Darling is a Foreigner "lame". It surely can't be as trite and shallow as this cinematic adaptation. Written by a Japanese female based on her real-life international marriage, I imagine, given its success, that it is poignant and keenly observed. I know of, but have not read, the manga this is based on. The chemistry between Saori and Tony is best described as inert. One imagines the filmmakers were forced to compromise on acting ability, or Japanese language ability, and decided to sacrifice the former. Jonathan Sherr as Tony is as bland as white bread. It's a pity she did not observe Kunimura more closely. Mao Inoue as Saori pantomimes in that cringe-inducing style (overt pouts, muttered asides, talking to oneself in exposition) so ubiquitous in Japanese TV dramas these days. Even in light-hearted fare such as this, such sloppy plot mechanics are insulting. She takes a taxi to his street, gets out, and bumps into him peeping at a wedding. At the film's climax, Saori incredulously hops on a plane to visit Tony in the States without contacting him or carrying his phone number. But Tony learns of the birth of his nephew by snail mail. The setting appears to be contemporary, and Saori owns a mobile phone. Saori's father opposes the union, but we are meant to feel he changed his mind because he was learning English - despite the fact that Tony is fluent in Japanese. The plot, what there is of it, makes no sense. Ditto Shinobu Ôtake, a high-calibre talent who does her best with the meager fare the role offers. But those are far too few, and his talent merely serves to highlight the gap between him and the muggers around him. Jun Kunimura at least brings some acting kudos to the flick, charismatic in every scene he appears in. The action picks up slightly when Tony and Saori become a couple and we are introduced to Saori's parents. Shoddy scripting combined with village hall acting did not make the minor characters shine, to say the least. In two decades of living in Japan I have crossed paths with some gaijin knob'eads in my time, but nothing about this guy struck me as authentic. At one point one of Tony's friends flicks Saori on the nose and jibes at her for not speaking English. Gaijin, in fact, as some uninformed Japanese filmmaker imagines them to be. During this time she is exposed to Tony's coterie of gaijin friends, one-dimensional representations painfully devoid of any humanity or complexity. The opening sequences of the film involves Saori waiting for the somewhat wimpy Tony to make a move. Saori is a struggling manga artist besotted with Japanophile American Tony. Instead, we are presented with this vacuous, witless, ill-conceived offering. It is a topic that should throw up amusing, insightful and even painful episodes. My Darling is a Foreigner attempts to take a light-hearted look at cross-cultural relationships, namely Japanese women and foreign men.