By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Takayuki Yakamura
Country: japan
Year: 2007
Running time: 92
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0794401/
Bruce says: “A number of years ago the New York Times printed a feature on New York’s most famous homeless persons. I was surprised at how many I recognized as fixtures on well traveled New York streets. YOKOHAMA MARY is the story of one such Japanese icon, a mysterious woman who roamed the streets of Yokohama in white face paint and heavy lip rouge and eye make-up. Every one knew who she was. She slept in hallways in business centers and shopping malls. Rumors circulated about her past; it is supposed she was a former sex worker. No one knows where she got money to live as she inched into old age. In 1995 she suddenly disappeared. At the time she was about 70.
“YOKOHAMA MARY also features prominent chanson (cabaret) singer Ganjiro Nagato, an openly gay man who has a Liberace style and is suffering from bone cancer. Before she disappeared, Ganjiro had a casual relationship with Mary. She came to some of his performances as his guest. They had tea together in a local teahouse. Ganjiro helps the filmmakers with their detective work in finding out what happened to Mary. Is she still alive? Did she meet a nasty death?
“In her prime, Mary was the inspiration for a novel and performance artists. Lots of footage from an unfinished documentary about Mary has been preserved. The camera follows Mary walking the streets of Yokohama and patiently captures the ritual of Mary applying her make-up. During the course of the film we meet Mary’s manicurist, her dry cleaner, the lunch spot proprietress, a sex journalist, and a sex counselor. All offer insight into her disappearance. And, yes, one of them is aware of Mary’s fate.
“The most interesting aspect of this film is how the archival post war footage and stills are used to effectively document the changes in Japanese culture. The cultural contrast is more interesting than the subject of the film. We learn a lot about the nightlife of Yokohama in the 1950s Negishiya was a 24 hour night club where hookers, gay men, theatre people, soldiers and the wealthy all mixed together. The nightlife of Yokohama today has less flavor and seems stale in comparison. 3 cats
“YOKOHAMA MARY screened at the 2007 Miami International Film Festival’