German + Rain

  • 71'
  • Japan
  • 2007
Small-scale, realistic looking but actually fairly absurd and supercool comedy. The protagonist is 16-year-old Yoshiko. She is no beauty. She is also not particularly elegant. Not without reason, she's known as Gorilla Man, named after a figure from a manga comic strip.
Yoshiko no longer goes to school and lives on her own in a derelict cottage. She works for a mean and bossy gardener because he has a nice German kid working for him as an assistant. She wants to be a singer and writes her own songs, but her career is not making much progress.
In order to do something professional with music, Yoshiko gives recorder lessons to three little boys. One of the boys really wants to become a girl. When it becomes apparent that two of her pupils are being abused by a paedophile, Yoshiko decides to take the law into her own hands, but things don't work out as they should.
The film is shot loosely in a relaxed way and every scene has a cool and clever element. The maker tackles serious subjects such as social alienation and child abuse, but she does so in a crazy and humorous way.
The young German speaks good Japanese, as Gorilla Man also has to agree, and so basically everything figures in this film which in a deceptive way doesn't look as if much makes sense. That is the magic of talent. The talent of Yokohama Satoko, in this case. (GjZ)


  • 71'
  • Japan
  • 2007
Director
Yokohama Satoko
Country of production
Japan
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2009
Length
71'
Medium
Betacam Digi NTSC
Original title
German + Ame
Language
Japanese
Producer
Hashizume Kazuyuki
Production Companies
Yokohama Pro, Ad Connect Zone
Sales
Little More Co., Ltd.
Screenplay
Yokohama Satoko
Cinematography
Hirano Shingo, Kamakari Yoichi
Editor
Okusada Seisho
Production Design
Okusada Seisho
Sound Design
Ippei Shingaki
Cast
Nozaki Yoshimi, Fujioka Suzune
Director
Yokohama Satoko
Country of production
Japan
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2009
Length
71'
Medium
Betacam Digi NTSC
Original title
German + Ame
Language
Japanese
Producer
Hashizume Kazuyuki
Production Companies
Yokohama Pro, Ad Connect Zone
Sales
Little More Co., Ltd.
Screenplay
Yokohama Satoko
Cinematography
Hirano Shingo, Kamakari Yoichi
Editor
Okusada Seisho
Production Design
Okusada Seisho
Sound Design
Ippei Shingaki
Cast
Nozaki Yoshimi, Fujioka Suzune