Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Japón Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 13, 2019

Carlos Reygadas' "Japon" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; new video program with the director; raw footage from the film's production; and more. The release also arrives with a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by novelist Valeria Luiselli, behind-the-scenes photographs, and a selection of the director's original storyboards, as well as technical credits. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"The Devil loads guns, and idiots shoot 'em off."

What separates Mexican director Carlos Reygadas from the pack is not his ability to tell a great story. He does something different with the camera that makes his films memorable. Much like Aleksandr Sokurov and Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Reygadas shoots films that allow viewers to connect with their environment and in the process experience entirely new feelings and sensations. It is the exact reason why spending time with one of Reygadas’ films is a lot like doing a meditation session -- your mind gradually relaxes, the rhythm of time slows down, and you temporarily enter a different zone of mental awareness.

Reygadas’ first feature film, Japon, welcomes the viewer to a rural area of his home country that has never been promoted by a tourist agency. There is plenty of raw beauty here, but nothing that could potentially excite the type of visitors that the tourist industry is after. And yet, immediately after the opening credits disappear Reygadas’ camera begins following a middle-aged man (Alejandro Ferretis) who is clearly an outsider. He moves slowly and often stops to observe the rugged terrain around him, at times leaving the impression that he is collecting mental images that later on he would use while working on a great novel.

When a couple of hunters spot the man and ask where he is heading, he mentions the name of a remote canyon. Then casually adds that once he gets there, he intends to end his life.

On the way to the canyon the man often turns on a portable cassette player and listens to bits of classic music that gives him enormous pleasure. When the camera captures his face, it seems like he does his best to savor every single note.

The man eventually reaches his final destination and in the nearby village gets a permission from the illiterate mayor to be a guest of his community. Shortly after, an elderly and deeply religious woman (Magdalena Flores) welcomes him in her secluded home where the man begins preparing for the final phase of his journey. However, the more time passes by and the man interacts with his host, the more he begins to reconsider his plan and regain his passion for life.

Reygadas’ decision not to use flashbacks explaining why the man is determined to commit suicide is one of the key reasons why his film is devoid of suspicious melodrama and looks incredibly authentic. On the other hand, the visuals have a fluid quality that essentially makes it impossible for it to evolve into an exotic documentary of sorts. So, all of the happenings in the film are stuck right in the middle between what the mind would register as real and surreal.

Quite predictably, the experience that the film offers won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. The connection that is mentioned earlier and is needed for the film to work as intended is never fully established, and over time it actually begins to look as if Reygadas struggles to choose the right identity for it. Unsurprisingly, even though there are large portions of footage with wonderful atmosphere and very nicely lensed panoramic shots the end product just does not come together particularly well.

*This recent release of Japon is sourced from a 2K remaster of the film that was supervised by director Reygadas. Additionally, the film is presented fully uncut. (In the United Kingdom, the film was released on DVD with a couple of small cuts that removed animal cruelty).

Japón Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.91:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carlos Reygadas' Japon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Lasergrpahics Director film scanner from the 16mm original camera negative and a 35mm blowup. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, noise, and grain management.

Transfer supervisor: Carlos Reygadas.
Additional supervision: Joaquin del Paso, Ernie Schoeffer.
Colorist: Giles Sherwood/Criterion Post, New York."

Prior to receiving this release my one and only viewing of Japon was via the old R2 DVD release that Artificial Eye produced years ago, and I am very impressed by the dramatic improvements that the new 2K remaster offers. To be honest, I actually felt that the film had a completely different vibe in certain areas because of these improvements. Depth is particularly strong now, though because of the native quality of the format there are some noticeable fluctuations that impact focus and delineation. (See the hand-held camera footage where the man walks down the hill). Clarity and fluidity are also far superior. Colors are natural, nicely balanced, and very fresh. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Japón Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear under the image frame.

The film's soundtrack incorporates a wide variety of organic sounds and noises, so you shouldn't expect great dynamic contrasts of the type that modern big-budget blockbusters have. There are a few balance fluctuations, but they are part of the sound design. The minimal dialog is clear and easy to follow.

Japón Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original trailer for Japon. With music and English text. (2 min, 1080i).

• Carlos Reygadas - in this new video program, Carlos Reygadas discusses his approach to film-making and the production history of Japon with director Amat Escalante. The program was recorded exclusively for Criterion in November 2017. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (43 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scene - presented here is an alternate ending for the film that was used during its screening at the Rotterdam Film Festival in 2002. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Production Diary - actor Alejandro Ferretis ("the man") documented the shooting of Japon with a Hi8 camera and edited his memories into the film presented here. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (102 min, 1080i).

• Adulte - this short film was directed by Carlos Reygadas in 1998 while he was living in Belgium. It is presented with a separate director's note. (7 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - 26-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by novelist Valeria Luiselli, behind-the-scenes photographs, and a selection of Reygadas's original storyboards, as well as technical credits.

Japón Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I like the concept behind this film and some of the locations that were chosen for it are pretty spectacular, but I feel that it is more than a bit unfocused and ultimately incapable of bringing together its different themes in a convincing fashion. Also, at times it leaves the impression that it does things for no other reason but to be arty, and when it happens its atmosphere immediately begins to crumble. (For what it's worth, I find Post Tenebras Lux to be a much better polished film, so perhaps it is more suitable to discover Carlos Reygadas through it). Criterion's release is sourced from a wonderful new 2K remaster. RENT IT.