"Baywalk", a karma-like area [Doichiro Enoki's Akasatana Movie Vol.17]

Tsuyoshi Kumeta received high praise for his documentary film Nare no Hate (21), which follows impoverished Japanese people living in the Philippines. This film won the Grand Prix and Audience Award in the feature category at the 3rd Tokyo Documentary Film Festival. This film is about men who are possessed by the magical power of the Philippines, unable to return to Japan, and are living on the lowest levels of life over seven years and 20 trips to Japan. I was drawn into it. There is an incredible amount of information. The streets of Manila are fragrant and beautiful, and the ``lives'' of middle-aged and elderly men stuck in dead ends there are desolate and painfully real. Director Kumeda brings his own handy camera and becomes ``another character, not the subject,'' asking questions and talking to him, and his perspective is very nice.

There is zero emphasis on social justice, such as ``telling the world'' or ``ringing an alarm.'' He himself is extremely drawn to it. His inability to leave Japanese people in need alone (he couldn't help but worry about them) drove him to the Philippines 20 times intermittently, but he didn't feel like he had to help them. Anyway, I'm planning to hang out with him forever. It reminded me of Takehiro Irokawa's keirin stories. I'm trying to see the ``key points of humanity.'' We are trying to get to know the ``key points of humanity.''

So, dear reader, thank you for your good fortune. There were two men in director Kumeta's location in the Philippines who could not be included in `` Nare no Hate ''. Of course it's a matter of scale. In the first place, even in the interview for `` Nare no Hate '', it feels like a huge amount of footage was organized and edited to that extent. If we had added two more characters, the content would have been diluted and it would have become uncoordinated.

When I say luck, I mean ``Baywalk'' (22). Two people who were not included in the previous work `` Nare no Hate '' were focused on and made another one. It's a sister version. Another such interesting documentary to watch. Even though they are sister versions, there is no particular connection between them, so this is overwhelmingly interesting on its own.

At the beginning of the movie, the promenade of the Manila port that is shown is the ``Baywalk''. It is famous for its beautiful sunsets. From daytime until evening, it's a place to relax and be crowded with families and couples, but at night, the atmosphere changes completely and it becomes a roost for many homeless people. Among them were Japanese people. Takashi Akatsuka, 58 years old. Mr. Akatsuka, who at first seemed to avoid the camera, gradually opened up and began to talk about his situation. When he was in Japan, he was a person who made a lot of noise through his underground business. He was deceived by the Filipino moneymaker and ended up penniless. If it were a drama, it would probably have an end mark, but he doesn't have the money to return home and can't afford to die. Life continues after the end mark. Director Kumeta turns his camera on the ``rest of his life.''

Mr. Akatsuka was charming. That charm is a life hack; he helps sell cigarettes at a street vendor during the day, and sleeps on the Baywalk at night. Talk to someone you know on the street and ask them to help you if you are in trouble. Although he lives hand to mouth with no prospects, he has adapted to his environment to a certain extent. I can't help but admire the vague and hopeless way of life. However, the people in Manila's slums are kind. The spirit of mutual aid warmed me. It's the compassion for others that Japanese people have long since lost.

“Baywalk”ⒸUzo Muzo Production

Another character, Masami Sekiya, 62, lives in a high-rise residential building near the Baywalk. He is a single person living on a pension. I decided to buy an apartment and move to the Philippines, where the cost of living is low, to spend the rest of my life. Looking out over the ocean from the balcony, Mr. Sekiya looked proud at first. He praised Manila, where you can ``drink, eat, and buy'' nearby, and talked about a rosy retirement.

However, Mr. Sekiya's life as an immigrant is self-contained. They don't open up to Filipinos, they just buy things and live in their rooms. I think there is a sense of discrimination deep inside. A ``rosy old age'' doesn't seem like much fun. He just complains to Mr. Kumeda's camera. He never visits the community in downtown Manila where the penniless Akatsuka arrived. It's a solitary confinement cell with a nice view. Mr. Sekiya planned to live there for "the rest of his life."

After watching the movie, I thought about a lot of things, and I realized that ``Baywalk'' is a documentary that makes you imagine not only what is shown in the pictures, but also what is not shown. For example, there will be no audience member who does not imagine the lives of Mr. Akatsuka and Mr. Sekiya in Japan. Life when Mr. Akatsuka was buzzing. The life that Mr. Sekiya lived until his retirement. I don't know if there was a failure somewhere or if it was just a coincidence, but I think there was something like a run-up, or a runway, that allowed him to make the leap to the Philippines for the rest of his life. The video shows the ``key points of humans,'' but what kind of person was it like to show these lines in the first place? Is he a special type of person (like the one who finds himself in a dead end in the Philippines), or is he an ordinary person who can be replaced by anyone?

I also became interested in Director Kumeta. I think Mr. Akatsuka and Mr. Sekiya, who are the subjects of the photo, are certainly the ``key points of human beings,'' but I wonder what Mr. Kumeta, who is taking the picture, is like. Mr. Akatsuka and Mr. Sekiya are photographed and shown in the video, and Mr. Kumeta is on the other side of the camera. There is a gaze that is drawn to and fascinated by the ``key points of humanity.'' When you think about that, there's no way you can just make another film because there were two extra Japanese people from Manila to interview. It's a field like ``karma.'' A masterpiece without a doubt!

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

"Baywalk"

Released on Saturday, December 24, 2022 at Shinjuku K's cinema and other locations

Distribution/Promotion: Brighthorse Film

ⒸUzo Muzo Production