Noriko’s Dinner Table - Review (Noriko No Shokutaku)

In Short
Atom Egoyan-style drama tossed with David Lynch’s weirdness by way of Japan.

Overview
When the opening scene of your first film features 50 Japanese Schoolgirls simultaneously hurling themselves in front of an oncoming Subway Train (and it’s not even the movie’s most surreal moment) mounting an equally shocking sequel becomes troublesome.

To his credit: Sion Sono’s follow-up to Jisatsu Sakaru aka Suicide Circle doesn’t try to be crazier, bloodier or scarier. In fact, it’s not even a horror film.

Noriko’s Dinner Table is a deliberately-paced drama about two sisters who fall into a dark Tokyo-based organization via the internet. We follow their respective identity crises; employment in a “family rental” business; their father’s attempts to re-connect; and their interaction with a mysterious chat room moderator, Ueno 54, who may run a suicide cult.

While there are several connections to the original in terms of plot (the Suicide Club and it’s many websites) and themes (Sono continues to explore the general malaise/alienation experienced by much of Japan’s youth) the shocking/’WTF’ moments that made the original a cult hit are absent. This is a quieter, parallel story occurring in the shadow of Jisatsu Sakuru’s madness.

The Good
Story: The Family Rental Business plot could support an entire feature. Essentially: the sisters end up working for a role-play service where they act out family “moments” for lonely folks across Tokyo. The gigs can be anything from a cliché (a grandfather spending his final moments surrounded by a grieving family) to the slightly disturbing (a man who lambastes his “daughters” for dressing provocatively, followed by a tearful “reunion” and cooking dinner together) to the mundane (an afternoon trip to grandma’s house). It’s a great concept and Sono executes it well.

Directing: Sono continues to move in a direction all his own. While he’s still making some massive, fundamental errors in judgment….I’m willing to overlook them due to the sheer originality of his work. There is simply not another director like him working today. Comparisons to Atom Egoyan’s work in terms of pacing, use of voiceovers and non-linear structure are inevitable.

Visuals: The director’s visual style remains schizophrenic. While much of the hand-held work is nice and there are some scenes of absolute beauty - some of it is just plain ugly. Consistency is not his strong suit.

Standout scene for me is a sequence where the camera tracks several family rental employees as they get into character en route to a job. What starts off as a group of unconnected, detached-looking folks transforms into a loving, happy family unit (child, two sisters, mother, and father) 20 paces later. Great stuff.

Characters: Tsugumi’s Ueno 54 is a truly original creation. From her origin (named after the commuter station locker she was abandoned in as an infant) to her apparent goals (driving humanity to mass suicide via subliminal messages in Tween girl band music and merchandising) to Tsugimi’s menacing performance - she’s just a fantastic character. She’s Anna Wintour meets Hannibal Lector meets Marquise de Merteuil.

Actors: Fairly solid work all-around, although I agree with Variety’s assessment that Sono does occasionally lose control of his actors. Less is more.

The Bad
- Running time (just under three hours) is a bit of a marathon for this sort of thing.
- Anyone looking for answers to the many unresolved threads of the original film are going to be left wanting.
- While we learn a little more about the hierarchy of the Suicide Club, answers as to their true goals or methods remain elusive. Those wondering what the hell was up with the room full of baby chicks, the leather clad enforcer and wheel of human flesh are going to be left that way.
- Script-wise, the film is a bit of a mess. Ideas are tossed around and never followed up on, character’s motivations remain mysterious and some dialogue is a little clunky.
- The Hot Topic crowd that embraced the original is going to be disappointed to find this is not a splatter-fest. There’s very little imagery from the film that would look good on a t-shirt.

Recommended to
Fans of Japanese oddities.

Release Date
Opens in Los Angeles today. Hits Chicago, San Francisco and other markets later in July.