Aramaki
Dir: Isamu Hirabayashi
2010
***
Isamu Hirabayashi's stylish short film is simple but asks a lot of questions of the audience. We see a man prepare for something in the woods, by the end we realise it is his own suicide that he is organizing. There is a beauty to the film, not just in the way it is filmed but in the ritual the man goes through and the overall idea of becoming one with nature. There is generally nothing beautiful about suicide. Euthanasia when one is in pain, surrounded by family is something different and can be beautiful, depending on how you see it, but we know nothing about the reasons behind this man's intentions, only that he is going through with it. It's this balance of beauty and reality that make the film so intriguing. 'Becoming one with nature' sounds idyllic but the truth of it is that it means you will be consumed and excreted and will become fertilizer. Beauty is subjective, as is death. In truth it is no masterpiece and is more performance art more than anything but any film that says/asks so much in such a short amount of time is positive in my book.