The Anniversary

A Toronto couple, Teresa (Deborah Hay) and Sam (Ben Carlson) reaching middle age with nothing but disappointment to show for their 20 year relationship, come to a breaking point on their 20^th wedding anniversary when Sam decides to take a jog and never returns.

The Anniversary is an absorbing chamber piece that takes place during one night in a downtown Toronto home where Teresa has invited a few of her family and friends for a dinner party while undergoing a personal crisis due to her husband having walked out on her exactly one year ago.

Toronto based Canadian actress/writer and director Valerie Buhagiar known for such films as Adriatico My Love (2011) Expecting (2002), Highway 61 (1991) and Road Kill (1989), and having directed many short films, has just completed her first feature length film as director. The Anniversary was made on a meager budget in ten days during a cold Toronto December, and is a well-crafted quirky slice-of-life drama that has many off beat comic moments. 

Unable to move on from the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Teresa withdraws while suffering from loneliness and depression. But she continues to hold out hope that one day he will return, perhaps even tonight. “He just needed a break”

The theme of loss and hope is prevalent throughout as all the guests at the party seem to have lost something and are disappointed with who they have become. We wonder if Sam will return as we learn more details about the couple’s relationship through a varied group of characters who all have their own interpretation of the unexpected walk out, and deal with the crisis in their own way. 

The film explores underlying questions of relationships and marriages, and society’s expectations, but feels much lighter due to the ensemble cast’s often humorous and awkward interactions. The characters are well written, each having a life of their own and feels at times like an intervention support group with people of varying ages and backgrounds.

There is a middle aged business man Carl (Colin Mochrie), who has hopes of stepping in as Teresa’s boyfriend, next is Teresa’s gruff mother who wants to knock some sense into her daughter, a lonely middle aged singer who had an affair with Teresa’s husband, there’s Teresa’s son Nicky who has withdrawn into his world of rap music and art, a university art student who had worked with Sam, and a neighborhood security guard who is also looking to court Teresa.

The atmosphere is thick with a simmering crisis where everyone is in denial and there is no consensus on reality or truth. Everyone seems to be in a state of limbo, waiting for something to be resolved or a moment of clarity so they can move on with their lives. 

The performances of the ensemble cast generally feel spontaneous and improvised making for some amusing moments and writer-director Buhagiar skillfully imbues the film with a gentle charm using music by local artists like Manteca, Michele McAdorey, Mary Margaret O’hara, and Lyne Tremblay helping give the film an alluring and hopeful quality.

JP

Kabukichô Love Hotel (Sayonara Kabukichô)

Kabukichô Love Hotel is a sweet heartfelt, thought provoking examination of a little-known and mysterious aspect of Japanese culture through genuine love stories of people from all walks of life who converge at a ‘love hotel’; a Japanese version of a sex themed hotel in Shinjuku district of Tokyo. 

It’s a hilarious unusual but honest, sensitive look at the lives, loves and ambitions of a group of ‘Love Hotel’ employees and their customers. We get to know the young troubled staff and their work environment intimately as we follow multiple storylines during a typical night at the Atlas Love Hotel over a 24 hour period. 

Rarely fazed by the illicit events that occur on a typical shift, they sometimes find themselves and their clientele in awkward predicaments. Clearly not their idea of an ideal job they lament their prospects while passing the time hanging out in the employee lounge dreaming of future aspirations.

Unique to Japan, where there are all manner of such seedy but colorful establishments in the entertainment districts, they are frequented by couples who want some privacy and a quick discreet getaway where and they can pick from a variety of small romantic themed rooms of their choice on an hourly or overnight basis. 

Director Ryuichi Hiroki has a personal connection to these characters and this shadowy district, having grown up close to one of these hotels. One senses that this film was a labor of love for him. The 61 year old director, who started out making soft porn films, has a talent for getting the most intimate and genuine performances out of his young ensemble cast who find themselves in the strangest and most embarrassing of situations. He skillfully reveals intimate and touching moments taking place in bizarre circumstances. Some are sad and others border on comedy but all are sincere.

The atmosphere is like that of a close knit family doing unusual work and we are privy to the whole spectrum of experiences that transpire during a typical day and night at the hotel, providing a revealing insider’s look at the intimate private sexual culture in Japan. 

Some of the down and out characters we encounter at the Atlas Hotel consists of a cleaning lady who is hiding a secret and keeping a low profile from the law, a young couple who want to save money to start their own business, and the young disheartened manager of the hotel (Shôta Sometani), who is shocked to discover his girlfriend with another man at the hotel while also having to confront his sister about acting in a porn shoot which is filming there. 

This film touches on some of the many social issues that Japanese youth are struggling with today. Often what brings people to these hotels are painful personal problems of loneliness, and sex in many cases is just a way to relieve or deal with that pain. 

A hit on the festival circuit, this extraordinary brave film transcends cultural boundaries and should find a broader audience outside Japan with its truthful depiction of human frailties and our strong desire for intimacy and love connections. 

JP