LuxFilmFest - Norie
LUXFILMFESTYuki Kawamura's documentary Norie is a heartfelt and emotionally engulfing feature that follows the arc of grief and celebration of life in its traumatic intertwined paradox.
Kawamura's stunning feature dives deep into his own family history with captivating consequence. Hearing stories of the director's mother (Norie) – of whom he lost at the tender age of just three years old – is heartbreaking and melancholic. The titular character's life is travelled to a captivating degree, not only immersing the viewer in Norie's personal life and relationship with Yuki's father but her ambition and output of living in a world that was not open and accessible.
Split into what is essentially two narratives, one explored through personal letters written by the subject with beautiful and tender narration, with the second set in the present following Yuki and his father as they both recount the life through friends and places. This ultimately leads to her resting place, with a heartbreaking albeit stunning scene at dinner between the father and son.
Shot in monochrome to capture the depleted emotional state of the family brings a devasting and touching predilection to proceedings. Captured throughout on home video from the director and cinematographer, Yuki Kawamura, the visual aesthetic is a profoundly personal one and flawlessly evokes a prosperous emotional state of what journey both Kawamura's are taking on.
Kawamura's documentary utterly engulfs the audience with a wonderfully engaging charisma and thematic weight. This is not just an indulgence piece but also acts as an informative examination of the difficulties of Japanese women carving a path in a misogynist society fighting against gender oppression, highlighting the harsh circumstances of proud and intellectual women sidelined by a system that was held up by these very women in the first place.
Norie wonderfully balances exploration and dedication with poignancy, diving deep into both the trauma of the past and grief engulfing the present. Exploring the emotional gravitas of death and life in its brutal cycle, trying to find an acceptance of such in all its mystery.
