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Bright Future

Palm Pictures / Year: 2003

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Synopsis

Released to great acclaim in Japan, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Bright Future follows two anti-social types who have found their reflection in each other.

Nimura Yuji and Arita Mamoru are co-workers at a hand towel factory. In his apartment, Mamoru takes care of deadly poisonous jellyfish which can kill humans. One day, while Yuji is visiting him, the head of the factory, Fujiwara, suddenly comes in. While Mamoru listens to Fujiwara's usual boring stories with smile on his face, Yuji cannot hide his irritation toward Fujiwara. When Fujiwara finds the jellyfish in a water tank and put his hand inside, Mamoru holds Yuji from warning him about their lethal qualities. Sensing danger, Fujiwara pulls his hand out of the water and leaves.

The next day, Fujiwara fires Mamoru for not warning him, unleashing a series of events that will alter both his and Yuji's lives forever.

Review

Bright Future is a deceptively simple tale of rebellious youths and the impact they have on those around them. Yuji and Mamoru (played by the endlessly talented Tadanobu Asano) are restless late 20-something factory workers. They are especially irritated by their bossy, overly friendly superior Fujiwara. Mamoru spends his free time meticulously caring for his pet jellyfish that he is training to survive in fresh water so that it can survive in Tokyo Bay. The jellyfish comes to symbolize Mamoru after an act of violence related to his boss lands him in jail. The remainder of the film is spent following Yuji as he cares for the jellyfish, tries out various new careers, and forms a familial bond with Mamoru’s lonely father. The film ends on a seemingly downbeat note although it ultimately accentuates its ongoing theme of hope for a better tomorrow.

This is the first of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s non-horror/thriller titles to be released in the United States. Like his other films, Bright Future is a multi-layered metaphor that transcends its plot and characters. The film’s themes can be applied to people from all walks of life although Kurosawa demonstrates that they are particularly applicable to modern day Tokyo. The film’s highlight, which is mirrored in its final scene, is a canal filled with migrating jellyfish that are traveling towards the ocean. They embrace their destinies as their lives evolve unlike the human characters in the film who struggle to escape their Tokyo-based routines. Bright Future rolls along at a slow pace that may deter some viewers, but the overall experience is a memorable one.

-- Eric Bresler