TURTLES SWIM FASTER THAN EXPECTED (2005, Satoshi Miki, A+)

Coincidentally, three films I saw last weekend have interesting (disguised) pregnant women. I-BE AREA (2007, Ryan Trecartin) has a very crazy disguised pregnant character. WANDA (1970, Barbara Loden, A+) has the leading character disguised as a pregnant woman for the purpose of committing a crime, while the real pregnant character in SLEEPWALK (1986, Sara Driver, A+) is the leader of a crime gang. These (false) pregnant characters seem to carry an unusual but interesting images.

I saw WANDA and SLEEPWALK at Thammasat University Library. For the full programs of the films shown there, you can read it from the link below:
http://dkfilmhouse.blogspot.com/2008/01/blog-post.html

Mubarak Ali wrote about SLEEPWALK here:
http://supposedaura.blogspot.com/2007/06/scenes-from-parallel-life.html

I really agree with Mubarak that SLEEPWALK reminds me of Jacques Rivette’s films. Another film which reminds me of Rivette lately is TURTLES SWIM FASTER THAN EXPECTED (2005, Satoshi Miki, A+). This Japanese film has nothing resembling Rivette’s, but it reminds me of Rivette’s films because its story is about a young housewife whose daily life seems to enter a new dimension after she decided to work as a spy for another country (I think it implies North Korea here.) She doesn’t have to do any dangerous mission as a spy. She just has to carry on her daily life as usual, but now her small town which used to look very ordinary transforms into a town which is only ordinary on the surface, but full of secrets and conspiracies deep down. It reminds me of Rivette’s films because I think films like CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING, GANG OF FOUR, UP DOWN FRAGILE, and LE PONT DU NORD also makes an ordinary-looking town, city or streets into something full of secrets or magic. While Rivette’s films put magic into daily life, TURTLES SWIM FASTER THAN EXPECTED transforms such an ordinary life into something very exciting.

Another thing I like very much in TURTLES SWIM FASTER THAN EXPECTED is the performance of Yu Aoi. I just saw her in RAINBOW SONG (2006, Naoto Kumazawa, A+), and it’s hard to believe it’s the same actress starring in both films.

–The upcoming weekend is very exciting. I hope to go to see THE VERY SHORT NEW YEAR CINE-BRATION PROGRAM at Chulalongkorn University on Friday.
http://2008shortfilmproject.exteen.com/20080122/2008-very-short-main-page
http://2008shortfilmproject.exteen.com/20071127/filmmakers

And I hope to go to see BIRTH OF THE SEANEMA (2004, Sasithorn Ariyavicha, A+++++++++++++++) for the third time this Saturday and a film by Raya Martin on Sunday. As for BIRTH OF THE SEANEMA, you can read an interview with Sasithorn by Sonthaya Subyen in Thai here:
http://filmsick.exteen.com/20080204/entry