A hit man in black struggles into an apartment complex. It turns out that the apartments are hosts to a cornucopia of characters. A couple are about to separate or play baseball. A woman maintains a schedule of screaming in order for the neighbours to ascertain that she is alive. A mother just wants to have fun. A daughter just wants to obtain high marks and then someone walks on the roof looking for a UFO to act as a taxi.
本片是山中貞雄的遺作，也是他的“時代劇的庶民電影”的代表作之一。他在片中吸取了美國電影和法國電影的影響，並受到摯友兼老師小津安二郎的“小庶民電影 ”美學影響，將歷史上江戶時代的小人物形像注入現代庶民的語言、性格、行止、靈魂，成就了一部難得的社會現實主義的佳作。故事發生於十八世紀德川幕府時代，以悲涼調子訴說德川幕府時期低下層的生活，開頭與結尾都是自殺場景，映照出舊時日本社會草根階層的悲哀。另外，山中的剪輯流暢自如，視覺風格鋒如日本繪畫，演員表演也很自然。此片公認為山中最好的作品，也是他僅存的三部電影之一。Humanity and Paper Balloons,unlike most other Japanese films of this period,is a historical film with a critical edge.Refusing to glorify samurai,the film insteaddeflates the myth around them with a gentle humanity. The film opens directly after a penurious ronin samurai has taken his own life.At his funeral his neighbors from his slum mourn his death. Here the film introduces another ronin samurai who lives in equal poverty. Having pawned his sword for food,the samurai searches for work but to no avail. The family's only income comes from the little balloon children's toys made by the wife.Out of desperation,the samurai abets in an attempted kidnapping. After finding out,the wife kills him in his sleep and then takes her own life, closing the film's narrative circle.Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide.
设计师影片的精彩影评
「不能說再見，我仍然隨你的迴聲漂流」高中生上山立夏，因受到佐藤真冬的歌聲衝擊，邀請並說服他加入自己與好友中山春樹、梶秋彥合組的樂團擔任主唱。在初次Live表演成功後，樂團以「GIVEN」的團名開始活動，立夏也意識到自己對真冬的感情，兩人開始交往。進入暑假後，為了取得搖滾祭現場演出機會的團員們正反覆地練習，然而，真冬在創作新曲上陷入瓶頸，立夏想幫忙卻只能在一旁靜靜守護，這兩人卻因小小的摩擦而產生衝突……