It is hard to write a review of "Eureka" without mentioning its extreme running time. At 3 hours and 37 minutes, director Shinji Aoyama takes his time to tell a story of new beginnings following an indefinite and stagnant period of trauma. Given the subject matter, however, "Eureka" would not have the same effect had it been told in 2 hours. This is a movie about 3 characters each in different stages of a recovery process, and to afford them less time to do so would be unfair.
"Eureka" opens with two teenage siblings, Kozue and Naoki (played by real-life sister and brother Aoi Miyazaki and Masaru Miyazaki), boarding a bus. Right after the last of the opening credits, the scene jump cuts to a jarring shot of a blood-stained hand, the camera moving away to reveal a corpse in the middle of a parking lot with the bus in the background. Within a few moments, we realize that one of the passengers has taken the bus driver and Kozue and Naoki hostage, after having killed the other passengers, and before being gunned down himself by a SWAT team.
This traumatic incident renders both children mute and the bus driver, Makoto (played by Koji Yakusho), restless and nomadic. 2 years pass and Makoto seeks out Kozue and Naoki, after finding out that their father has died and their mother has abandoned them, leaving them to fend for themselves. The children permit Makoto to stay with them and he fulfills the role of father figure. They are later joined by a college-age cousin, Akihiko (played by Yoichiro Saito), checking up on the children during a semester break. Akihiko's presence provides "Eureka" with interesting chracter dynamics, given the fact that up until his arrival, Makoto does not have anyone to talk to since the two children are mute. What follows is an existential road trip once Makoto decides to get his life back on track by purchasing a small bus and inviting the kids on a journey of promise and healing.
Probably the best asset of "Eureka" is the camera placement. This movie is a series of long takes and long shots. There are few, if any, close-up shots of the characters. Normally, I find this style of film-making challenging and frustrating since it places us away from the characters, but it works very well here. The long shots do place us "away" from the characters but at the same time we are given enough room to interpret what we see on the screen. It is a different kind of documentary technique than the more close-up and sharply edited documentary style present in "Amores Perros," (another movie from this year that I consider to be a masterpiece), but it is no less effective here in "Eureka". It is also mandatory that I mention the lush black-and-white cinematography as well.
"Eureka" certainly demands the viewer to keep his or her attention span intact. The long takes of each scene as well as the long periods without dialogue take some getting used to, but eventually (hopefully) the viewer will find himself/herself in the film's rhythm. Trust me, the viewer will be rewarded by slowly being transported into the characters' world. After spending 3 hours and 37 minutes with Makoto, Akihiko, Kozue, and Naoki, they will feel like new and dear acquaintances.
"Eureka" opens with two teenage siblings, Kozue and Naoki (played by real-life sister and brother Aoi Miyazaki and Masaru Miyazaki), boarding a bus. Right after the last of the opening credits, the scene jump cuts to a jarring shot of a blood-stained hand, the camera moving away to reveal a corpse in the middle of a parking lot with the bus in the background. Within a few moments, we realize that one of the passengers has taken the bus driver and Kozue and Naoki hostage, after having killed the other passengers, and before being gunned down himself by a SWAT team.
This traumatic incident renders both children mute and the bus driver, Makoto (played by Koji Yakusho), restless and nomadic. 2 years pass and Makoto seeks out Kozue and Naoki, after finding out that their father has died and their mother has abandoned them, leaving them to fend for themselves. The children permit Makoto to stay with them and he fulfills the role of father figure. They are later joined by a college-age cousin, Akihiko (played by Yoichiro Saito), checking up on the children during a semester break. Akihiko's presence provides "Eureka" with interesting chracter dynamics, given the fact that up until his arrival, Makoto does not have anyone to talk to since the two children are mute. What follows is an existential road trip once Makoto decides to get his life back on track by purchasing a small bus and inviting the kids on a journey of promise and healing.
Probably the best asset of "Eureka" is the camera placement. This movie is a series of long takes and long shots. There are few, if any, close-up shots of the characters. Normally, I find this style of film-making challenging and frustrating since it places us away from the characters, but it works very well here. The long shots do place us "away" from the characters but at the same time we are given enough room to interpret what we see on the screen. It is a different kind of documentary technique than the more close-up and sharply edited documentary style present in "Amores Perros," (another movie from this year that I consider to be a masterpiece), but it is no less effective here in "Eureka". It is also mandatory that I mention the lush black-and-white cinematography as well.
"Eureka" certainly demands the viewer to keep his or her attention span intact. The long takes of each scene as well as the long periods without dialogue take some getting used to, but eventually (hopefully) the viewer will find himself/herself in the film's rhythm. Trust me, the viewer will be rewarded by slowly being transported into the characters' world. After spending 3 hours and 37 minutes with Makoto, Akihiko, Kozue, and Naoki, they will feel like new and dear acquaintances.