Vermilion Souls

An imaginative and occasionally bad-natured clash between old and new, between Butoh theatre and sexually charged surrealism. Shot in powerful black-and-white images that evoke the mood of silent films. Designed and acted as theatre, yet still unmistakably film. Occasionally with fairground bustle, and often a beautifully arranged tranquillity.
Iwana Masaki is a famous Butoh dancer and he imbues the film with his artistic vision. This very Japanese film was not shot in Japan, but in France, in Bretagne, in and around Iwana's house. This location emphasises the kinship with the early days of surrealism. The film had a long gestation. Filming was completed in 2004, but it was only recently edited. The main thread of the film is the acceptation of death in life, an idea that is one of the foundations of Butoh theatre.
The story is set in Tokyo, seven years after the end of World War Two. The world is seen through the eyes of a schoolboy. And more than that; his dreams also shape the film. The adults in the film suffer from a mysterious disease that means they can't bear daylight. The schoolboy plays the role of voyeur. He sees things, pornographic things, that were not intended for children's eyes. But even the pornography is theatrical and artistic. (GjZ)