Bari.Zogon

A fierce and militant documentary by Watanabe Fumiki that has a very special place in this programme. Where the staged documentary is usually a source of enjoyment or satire in most of the other films, in the case of Watanabe, the (re)construction of reality is deadly serious. He films fictional situations as a part of a fanatical quest for truth.In the region where the film-maker grew up, a huge nuclear power station is planned. This is reason for Watanabe to look into the unsolved death of a young political activist seven years before. Officially the youth drowned in a sewer while he was spying on a young school mistress. Everyone in the neighbourhood knows better, but no one says a word. Watanabe developed an idea about the course of events and visualises it as if he was there: he forges the documentary pictures in order to clarify the truth. He then confronts those involved at the time with his insights. The boy knew too much about a kongsi of corrupt politicians and the managers of the power station and was eliminated. Watanabe slaps the silent and unwilling conspirators around the face with the truth. He fights his way (also literally) in everywhere, providing disconcerting (real) footage on a par with Kazuo Hara's The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On. (GjZ)