High schooler Amiko (Aira Sunohara) is in love. The object of her affections is Aomi (Hiroto Oshita), a cool, counterculture guy with whom she bonds over their shared love of Radiohead. Despite his lack of desire to reconnect after this initial meeting, Amiko’s crush remains. Upon hearing that Aomi is moving from Nagano to Tokyo with his girlfriend, Amiko is devastated and decides to trek to the big city to get him back. So begins her adventure, as Amiko befriends strangers and finds herself in Tokyo.
Writer-director Yoko Yamanaka shot “Amiko,” her debut feature, at only 19 after dropping out of film school. Her DIY ethos is easily identified, as the whole production was shot on a shoestring budget of $2,500. Many of the scenes were filmed guerrilla-style — Yamanaka recalls the delightful spontaneity of shooting and getting chased away for not having permits. Fitting with Yamanaka’s hustle as a filmmaker and her interest in adolescent-led stories, the film lacks any adult characters, while her whole crew ranged from the ages of 18 to 20.
This theme of young adults’ self-determination is mirrored in Amiko, who is utterly tough and uncompromising. Regarding her heroine, Yamanaka reflects that she “wanted to show [her] confidence coming from the inside.” However, she is still a teen who carries the delusions of youth, as a brief meeting with Aomi convinces Amiko he is the picture-perfect ideal of a boy that she has manufactured in her head.
“Amiko” successfully challenges not only the filmmaking grain through this feisty, lo-fi effort but conventions of passive Japanese femininity as a whole. With its witty dialogue and unique protagonist, Yamanaka has created a warped coming-of-age story that demands to be seen.
The film has screened on the festival circuit, including the Berlinale, Japan Cuts, and the Fantasia International Film Festival.
Upcoming screenings:
September 1-7, 2018 — Theater Pole-Pole Higashi Nakano — Tokyo, Japan
Published monthly, Under the Radar offers a chance for us to highlight works by and/or about women that haven’t received big releases or significant coverage in the press, but are wholly worthy of attention. To recommend a title for this feature, please email womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com.
