Ginley Hall and “Saint Francis” [Doichiro Enoki’s Akasatana Movie Vol.15]

The closing of Iidabashi Ginrei Hall is approaching. This column is a biweekly series, so if we don't touch on this topic now, it will be until after the museum closes on November 27th. Ginley Hall is my home. I am a member of the Ginrei Cinema Club and have purchased an annual pass. This is an excellent system that allows you to watch movies as many times as you want during the screening period, similar to a subscription service, and thanks to this system, I can enjoy the ease of watching a masterpiece theater both when I'm proud and when I'm disappointed (and when I'm neither). I was able to breathe a sigh of relief in the darkness. Well, if it's sports, there's the home stadium of your favorite team. I've stopped by Ginley Hall before heading to work at TBS Radio, and I've also had magazine meetings at nearby Starbucks and Doutor. It has now become a part of life.

However, it was decided to close due to the rebuilding of the building in which it was occupied. What should I do? The other day, I watched a double feature of `` Baby Broker '' (22) and ``Saint Francis'' (19), and I didn't really feel it at all. It seems like they will continue operating movie theaters like this forever. I feel like we'll see a double feature forever.

Ginrei Hall is a type of movie theater that used to be called ``Nibankan'' or ``Sanbankan'' among the masterpiece theaters. Programs are organized from works that have completed their roadshow. Therefore, as a movie fan, you can watch the ``new movie that was talked about a while ago'' at a low price by just waiting a little while. In terms of books, it's a used book (or a new used book?). In the past, the image was that ``young people with no money'' would go to ``Nibankan'' and ``Sanbankan.'' There are many famous movie theaters in Tokyo, and young people went to the movie theaters every day with information magazines such as ``Pia'' and ``City Road'' in hand.

When I was a youngster, Mitaka Oscar was my home. This was a three-line movie theater, and if you went into the movie theater in the morning (after buying some buns from the bakery next door called Komiya), it was already evening when you came out. Ruining your day may seem like a bad thing, but for depressed young people who don't know what to do, who have accumulated energy, the triple feature that "ruins your day in a happy way" is a good idea. It was a relief. Scenes and stories I had never thought of unfolded vividly before my eyes, and they nourished my soul. When I was in college, I had Mitaka Oscar show me 100 movies a year.

By the way, I grew up to become a professional writer and a hell of a heavy smoker. I can't write a manuscript without a cigarette. It's not like the play ``Shanghai Bang King,'' but he took advantage of his youth and health to continue working. Symptoms of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) become noticeable. I can't stop coughing and can only take shallow breaths. I gave up there. I gave up on my youth. I gave up on the style of being reckless and wasting my energy. Start a clean lifestyle by going to the hospital's smoking cessation outpatient clinic. But that alone was too lonely, so I gifted myself an annual pass to Ginley Hall (with the money I saved on cigarettes?). I was happy when I was at Mitaka Oscar. Because I'm all alone like back then.

I have to talk about ``Saint Francis.'' This is a really good movie. The carelessness that the main character, Bridget, faces (at least part of it) is familiar to me. A 34-year-old single woman who dropped out of university and now works as a waiter at a restaurant. I personally think that Udatsu will not improve if I say it in a worldly way, but I won't get into that. They can't build a business career, they can't start a family, and there's nothing they can push out.

So, I was asked to go to an interview for a nanny (babysitting and discipline job). Nanny is originally a British expression, but it's a bit closer to motherhood than babysitter. The family I visited for my interview was a black and Hispanic gay couple, and their daughter Frances calls them ``Mommy'' and ``Mommy'' because they are both women. In other words, Bridget is neither a "mummy" nor a "mommy," but a third (young, fragile, unstable) mother.Well, she treats her six-year-old Frances more like a friend.

“Saint Frances” (C) 2019 SAINT FRANCES LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

What is groundbreaking about this movie is that it flatly depicts events from a woman's perspective, such as menstruation, abortion, and postpartum depression. The director, Alex Thompson, is a man, but it turned out that the script was written by Kelly O'Sullivan, who plays Bridget (!). This actress was doing her best, and I thought she looked good, and then I realized that she was playing Bridget based on her own script.

I won't go into details here, but this time too I came across ``sights and stories I had never thought of'', and I was impressed and learned a lot. I've lived my whole life as a man, and 90% of the time I've come into contact with stories and ways of thinking about things that men have come up with, so I wonder if things are this real from a woman's point of view.

Women in stories created by men are often idealized and categorized. For example, even when dealing with abortion, it is not treated so flatly. Due to its association with the religious right, it is depicted as a theme-based song, and if you were to talk about it in a song, it would be treated as if it were a chorus or something. This movie is treated as flat as the middle of an A-melody. The flatness of my body is one of many things that happen to me.

I have two younger sisters, and I remembered what happened after my older sister's date. After my sister went on a date, her boyfriend dropped her off and came home. I think after the car arrived in front of my house, we started flirting and said goodbye and kissed. So, after saying goodbye and coming home, what is the first thing my sister does? I head straight to the toilet. They were flirting, but I think he was also holding back his pee. This was the case every time. I thought that made sense. After a date, I drive her home and we flirt, but after we kiss her, she goes home with a melting expression on her face, but after that, she probably goes straight to the bathroom. is. This person is seeing a fantasy, but the other person is living reality. Ever since I realized this, I've started asking people, "Is the toilet okay?" as often as possible. I thought it would be bad if I was too embarrassed to use the toilet.

So, thanks to Ginley Hall, I once again had the opportunity to see things from a perspective I don't normally see, and to think about things from a perspective I don't normally think about. I was touched by the ``pride in life'' of a gay couple, the protagonist who is a nobody, and a girl who is gaining physicality. Ginrei Hall will continue to nourish my soul until the end of this month. It's a really, really important place.

It has been going on for 48 years in its current location in Iidabashi. Thank you, Ginley Hall. Right now, I'm just waiting for good news about relocation. In other words, the final double feature of `` Thinking of You, Riding the Bus '' (21) and `` Marry Me '' (22) will begin on the 19th. Of course I'm looking forward to going to see it.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

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"Saint Francis"

Currently being released nationwide

Distribution: HARK Distribution cooperation: FLICKK

(C) 2019 SAINT FRANCES LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED