Princess Raccoon

The position of the old master in this maestro section is most certainly deserved, but the film would not be out of place in the Sturm und Drang programme either. In terms of creativity and imagination, there are few new films that can measure up to this eccentric miracle. The film is made up of a fantastic collage of fairytale images and a jumble of equally fairytale stories. One day – we don’t know yet whether it will turn out to be a good day or not – Princess Tanuki (Japanese for raccoon) meets a prince. She invites him to her castle. The prince, Amechiyo, is being pursued by his father Azuki who, after having first banished him, now wants to kill him. A prediction has foretold that the son will be more beautiful than the father, and the latter is unable to accept this. Fate has it that Princess Tanuki and Prince Amechiyo fall in love at first sight. However, many hindrances keep them separated from one another. The film is a musical and visual adventure, an unbridled cinematographic opera and a mixture of styles and influences. Suzuki himself calls it a meeting of architecture, visual art, Japanese traditional theatre such as kabuki and noh, with opera, ballet and rock ‘n’ roll. Princess Raccoon is a film by a master who has no reason whatsoever to stick to any rules and who makes grateful use of the latest digital technology to realise his cheerful dreams. (GjZ)