映画【ラ・ラ・ランド】虹のような過去と未来｜"La La Land: A Rainbow Bridge Between Past and Future"

-There is an English translation at the bottom of the text-

映画を観て文章を書く時のマイルール

noteに初めて映画のことを書いた文章【サブスタンス】はたまごと鶏とシャイニング🍳でも軽く触れたのだが…
映画を観る時、noteの文章を書く時のわたしのマイルール》は…

映画のはなしの前に《わたし》のはなし

お風呂の中で

小さいころどうしても、父と母とお風呂に一緒に入りたかったことがあった。中学生の頃に引っ越したのだが、その前の家は湯船が決して大きいとは言えなかった。そんなお風呂に保育園のわたしは「ねえねえ一緒に3人でお風呂はいろっ」と父と母に声をかけたのである。

二人は最初だけ、一瞬ぎょっとしていた。わたしが普段言い出したら聞かないタイプではなかったのだが…。
なぜかこの時は譲れなかったのである。
当時住んでいた家の湯船は狭かったのでわたしと父が湯船に一緒に入るか、母とわたしが一緒に入るか…。髪や身体を洗っている間、正直ひまだ。そんなわたしを退屈させないように、どちらが言い出したのかわからないが俳句を作ることになった。理由は全く覚えていないが当時、祖父母の家に行く車の中などで3人で俳句を作っていた。なんでそんな遊びが、我が家で流行していたのかは謎である。ただ五七五の文字数を指折り守るだけで、キャッチ―なリズムになる心地よさに最初びっくりして、わたしはその遊びが本当に楽しかった。

父と母と3人でお風呂に入る以前。夜眠る前に父に「流れ星をみにいこう」といわれ、目覚ましを朝早くに掛けた。流れ星なんて生まれてこの方、ディズニー映画のオープニング以外で観たことがなかった。
いつも父と母、3人の中で起きるのはわたしが一番最後だった。なのでワクワクしながらも〈自分が起きることができるのか〉少し、こわかった。わたしは11月18日午前4時頃、目覚ましの音を聞いて父をゆり起こした。自分が起きることが出来たのがとっても嬉しかった。「本当に行くのならあったかくさせてよっ！！」と眠る前に言っていた母の言いつけを守り…当時よく来ていた赤いチェックのコートを着て暖かくして家から5分もない土手に、2人で手を繋いで歩いていった。保育園年長の深夜。

土手に寝っ転がりながら、うまれて初めて数えきれないほどの流れ星をみた。その時に「あそこに３つ星が並んでいるでしょう？そこを中心にして蝶々みたいな形の星座を〈オリオン座〉って言うんだよ。」と父に教えてもらった。そのあと父が買ってくれた星の絵本や、小学校の授業では星座早見表等を見たけれど…。今もってパッと見てわかる星座はオリオン座だけだ。オリオン座を見つけると今も「冬が来るんだな…」と思うと同時に、父と寝っ転がった土手の背中に当たる少し湿った草の感触をおもいだす。

お風呂の中で「俳句の内容は座流星群を、見に行った時のことにしたら？」と母が言ったように思う。寝ていた母はその時の話をもしかしたら聞きたかったのかもしれない。お風呂の中で「うんうん」一生懸命考え…。わたしが「こうは？」というと「こっちのほうがいいんじゃない？」と3人でお風呂を出てからも考え続け…。和室で川の字で寝ていた布団の上で〈3人合作の俳句〉が眠るころに、ようやく出来上がった。

実際には季語が2つ入っているので、俳句の「季重なり」といい俳句のルール上よろしくはないが…。あえて季節の移り代わりを詠むときに、季語を重ねることもあるらしい。今調べて初めて知った。中高大といろんな俳句を習ったと思うが、わたしが即答で暗唱できるのは…この俳句だけである。

日課の海外ドラマとエミー賞

映画【羊たちの沈黙】通わないはずの体温でも書いたが「映画館で【羊たちの沈黙】をやっていて、観るか悩んでいるのなら…。絶対面白いから、いまから映画館で観てこい。」と直帰の道中に、わたしに進めた上司がいた。その上司とはダーク系の映画や海外ドラマ作品についてよく話をする。最近は大概聞かなくても、わたしに「俺は、いまこれを観ているので観るように…」と勧めてくれるようになった。笑

しかしそんな彼に、その頃話題になっていた「【アドレセンス】観ました？どうでした？」と聞くと「よかった」と、言うがそのあとに少し間をおいて続いたのは「観ないほうがいいかもしれない…」と言う言葉だった。よくよく聞くと、わたしのことをよく知っている彼ならではのアドバイスだった。わたしがダークな作品に、メンタルが大きく影響されることを知っていた彼は面白いけれど「安易に勧められない」と言ったのだ。

そんなアドバイスから数か月たった先日、会社の別の人に紹介してもらった【ハウス・オブ・ギネス】をアッという間に観終わってしまったわたしに…。ネットフリックスのAIがおすすめしてきたのが【アドレセンス】だった。

そして【ハウス・オブ・ギネス】を観終わった晩。繁忙期も少し抜けてきて「今なら観ても大丈夫かも…」と、観始めた【アドレセンス】をそのまま観きってしまったのだ。と言うより止まらなかった。ワンカットの手法に注目できていたのは一瞬だった。もう内容に引き込まれすぎて、ワンカットかどうかなんて関係なくなっていた。それは、実際に長期間同じキャストで撮り続けた映画【6歳の僕が大人になるまで】に近い印象を受けた。もちろん内容や雰囲気は全く違うが手法よりもストーリーが上回るという部分でだ。キャスト・スタッフにはうれしいことではないだろうか。

そんな強烈なエミー賞を受賞した【アドレセンス】を観た後。「次は何を観ようかな…。」と思いながら最近、日課のnoteをスクロールしていた。すると少し前の【グッド・ウィル・ハンティング】の文章でもエミー賞について少し書いたのだが…。エミー賞が発表される以前に書かれた、ノミネートされた作品の中から〈受賞する作品を予想〉している方がいた。【グッド・ウィル・ハンティング】でエミー賞の文章を書いた時には、まだこの方の文章を読むことができていなかった。

その方は、ほとんどの賞で【人生の最期にシたいコト】をあげていたのだ。それはディズニープラスで、サムネを見て《面白そうとマイリストにいれていたものの観ていなかったドラマ》だった。
【アドレセンス】を観終わった後、エミー賞で【アドレセンス】のスピーチを観返していた直後のことで…。え？！あの【アドレセンス】より強烈ってどうゆう事？と、観始めたが最後…。こちらも一気に観終わってしまった。

もうこれだけで、1本文章を書くことが出来るほど…強烈でいい作品だった。海外ドラマではなく、これが映画だったら…。間違いなく映画【国宝】レベルの〈長文の文章〉になっていただろう。わたしはこれから、今はまっているタコスを食べるたびに…。あの靴下を思い出すだろうし。母が冬になると部屋着のうえに着る、ピンクのユニクロのフリースを見るたびに彼女を思いだすだろう。

「あなたとは死にたくない。あなたとは一緒に犬を飼って暮らす未来を
想像していたいの。」最期の最期で出る、このセリフ。「そうだよね。わたしは〈この人に自分の命を預けられるか〉ってよく考えるよ。」と号泣しながら共感せずにはいられなかった。

あなたのnoteの文章が、わたしに最高の作品と出会わせてくれました。本当にありがとうございました。

怖くてもう観ることができない映画

わたしには怖くて観ることができない映画がいくつかある。もう二度と観たくない映画と言った方がいいだろうか。一度観たけれど「こんな思いをするならもう二度と観ない」と決心した映画だ。それは言葉通りとそのままのホラーのような怖さもあれば、悲しかった記憶しかない映画だ。

「もう二度と観たくない。そんな映画はあるか」と、この間【ハウス・オブ・ギネス】を紹介してくれた人と盛り上がった時、上の作品は答えられたのだが…。その後も、しばらくことあるごとに考えてみた。そこで思い出したのが【ラ・ラ・ランド】だった。

ネタバレなしの感想

LAのまちで女優を目指しカフェで働いているミア。そんな彼女は受けたオーディションで落ち込み、ルームメイトにパーティーへと連れ出される。

ミュージカルとしてダンスも歌ももちろん素敵だが、全ての色使いが虹のよう。いまも夢を追う人、かつて夢を追っていた人へおすすめできる作品。大人の映画。（140文字）

ネタバレありの感想

いかに揃っているか

映画【国宝】の文章でも少し書いたがわたしは3歳から小学校卒業まで、新体操をやっていた。
新体操をやっているといっても、週1回の習い事の時間以外は全く練習もしない、いい加減な児童だった。しかし観る目ばかり肥えてしまい…。オリンピックで新体操種目（英語表記では最近リズミックジムナスティックに名称が変更された）を見る時には「あーずれた」などと自分はできもしないのに声に出したり、思ったりしていた。

フィギュアスケートのペアや社交ダンスのペアの踊りでは、体格が違えど振付のキメの部分と音が一致していて…。そこがずれると、とてつもなくカッコ悪い。しかしながらわたしがテレビで観るようなプロの中でも世界レベルを競う選手たちは一度たりとも崩れたり、ずれたりしなかった。
その揃った踊りを観るのが大好きだった。

そんなわたしが遥か遠くまで目を凝らしてみても、この有名な冒頭シーン。ほぼ全員が、きれいに揃っているのだ。男女の体格差や車の屋根の上という事を、考慮してもかなりのクオリティだった。初めて映画館で観た時は、「うおぉぉぉー車の上でそんな跳んでいいわけぇ～？」とワクワクしながらもヒヤヒヤしたが…。2回目観た今回は、よーーーく目を凝らして観るだけの余裕があった。

二度と観ない

公開当時、映画館で観終わった時「もう二度と観ない」と思った【ラ・ラ・ランド】。いざ観てみたら、いまのわたしには《素敵な映画》と感じることが出来た。

なぜ当時は二度と観ないと思ったのか…。今このnoteを読んでいる人には、全くもって信じられないだろうが…。わたしはまるで自分のことを話さないし、表現しない人だった。そんなわたしがする恋愛は…。「何を考えているかわからない」「依存して何が悪い」「結婚してほしい」これは全部当時、付き合っていた別々の3人から言われた言葉だ。自己表現をしない代わりに、わたしは…。相手がしてほしいこと、いってほしいことが分かったのだ。
自己表現をしないのだから《何を考えているのかわかるはずもない》。自分が望むことを、母親の様に言ったりやったりしてくれる。依存するのも、結婚相手に選ぶのも当然だ。

その一方で当時のわたしは、どんどんすり減っていく。こんなにもあなたの思考を先読みするのに考えを巡らせているのに「何を考えているかわからない」といわれ。言ってほしいことしてほしいことの要望はエスカレートし、わたしの対応が当たり前になった末に、距離を取りたいのに「依存して何が悪い」と言われるホラー。別の人ではあるが、同様の末路をたどったうえで出る「結婚」の文字。ホラーを通り越して真っ暗闇のどん底だった。

そのさまは、いまだからわかる。【ラ・ラ・ランド】の中でミアが受けるオーディションでの彼女そのものだ。全力でやっているのに…。まったく逆の結果がついて回るのだ。
そんな結婚の文字が出る前なのか、後なのか…。定かではないが、その彼と一緒に観たのが【ラ・ラ・ランド】だった。

大好きなミュージカルのウキウキした気分から、だんだんと暗雲が立ち込め…。バットエンドだとしてもコミカルに終わると完全に《前情報》で思い込んでいたわたしは、その彼の隣でそれこそ鬱々とした雰囲気に…。観終わっても座席を立ち上がれない程だった。

《わたし》という1人の人なのに、全く別人をみていた当時の彼らとわたし。別々の人生を歩むことが出来て互いに幸せだったと心底思える。

未来に現時点のことを振り返ったとき…。今が、流れ星や虹と同じようにかけがえのない瞬間のはずだ。最初に【ラ・ラ・ランド】を観た時よりも、そのことが痛いほどよくわかるようになった今だからこそ…。心地よくわたしに染みた映画だった。
ミュージカルのアップテンポな映画と見せかけて…。ほろ苦い大人の映画が【ラ・ラ・ランド】なのだ。

虹のような過去と未来とドライブ

そんなわたしも、今の仕事に就いたからなのかはわからないが…。たくさんの知識溢れる人と日々接しているからか…。こんなにnoteに個人情報を垂れ流すほどに。わたしに自己表現をしても大丈夫だと、長時間かけて根気よく接してきてくれた。わたしの周囲の人たちのおかげでいろんな人と〈ありのままのわたし〉で接することができるようになってきた。

そんななかでしたいくつかの恋のおかげで【ラ・ラ・ランド】を最後まで観ることが出来たのだと思う。もしあの時の彼と未来や今までの時間を過ごすことができたのなら…。大好きなはずの【ミッド・ナイト・イン・パリ】やウディ・アレンみたいなポップな世界で、本当に悲しいシーンが永遠に思えるように続く。

ただ誰もが思ったことがあるはずだ。あの人と過ごしていたら今頃…。あの人と過ごすことが出来ていたら…。

子どものころ〈おかあさんといっしょ〉で…。あゆみおねえさんや、しょうこおねえさんが歌っていた曲がある。あーめーがあがあったよ。おーひーさーまが出てきたよ。ではじまる曲だ。

わたしは、この曲が大好きだった。とある日…。母が運転する車の助手席に乗っていた。少し、おねえさん用のチャイルドシートに座っていたので…。ちょうど〈わたしのはなし〉の俳句を3人で作ったくらいだったとおもう。

ワイパーが一番ゆっくりの速さで右に左に動く中で…。ガラスに雨粒がつくその、むこうに虹が出たのだ。わたしの当時住んでいた地域では、虹が出るのはめったにあることではない。「ねえ。虹のはじまりって車でいけるの？」と母に聞いたのだ。驚いたような目で母は、左のわたしに少し目をやって「行ってみよう」といって赤信号を家とは違う方向に走り出したのだ。

子どものわたしの体感で5分～10分走った頃…。虹は消えてしまった。虹が消えてしまったのだから、悲しい思い出になってもおかしくないはずなのに…。本当に楽しかったのだ。今でもことあるごと、ふとした時に思い出すドライブだ。今だからわかる。どれだけ車を走らせても虹のふもとには、たどり着けなかった。きっとわたしが想像する〈淡い恋愛のありもしない未来〉も、虹の様にたどり着くことが出来ない。

そう。彼らはわたしが《一緒に死にたい人》ではない。〈犬を一緒に飼う未来を想像する相手〉なのだ。

そして夢だって一緒だ。追いかけて、結果かなわなかったとしても。かなったとしても理想を追い求める場合、もっともっとと高みを目指せば終わりはない。虹にたどり着けないのと、同じだ。

わたしが死ぬとき。《流れ星　にじがかけてく　夜明けまで》の俳句作りの光景は思い出すとして…。隣にいるのは誰なのだろう…。そしてわたしはどんな夢を追いかけたあとなのだろう…。と、心地よい音楽の中で思いを巡らす2回目の鑑賞だった。

おまけ

パトレイバーのコメント

前回書いた文章は【パトレイバー】の劇場版だった。その文章にコメントをくださった方がいた。
《幼い頃の将来なりたい人物の1人はパトレイバーの後藤さん》だというのだ。なんてかっこいい感性を持った方だろうと思った。

そんな方の、noteの文章を読みに行ったところ…。とっても素敵な詩のような文章を見つけた。わたしの思い出がたっぷり詰まっている〈ジブリ作品〉と絡めた文章だった。コメントも、書かれた文章も。わたしの心を、じんわりあたたかくさせました。素敵なコメントをありがとうございました。

さらにいつもコメントをくださる方で本当にちらっと書いたNHKの朝の連続テレビドラマ小説【あまちゃん】に言及してくださったのだ。

このドラマに出てきた、オリジナルソングは全部歌える自信がある。そしえてゴーストバスターズだけではなく…笑〈にじのむこうに〉同様、大好きになったのが〈いつでも夢を〉だ。それまで名前を言われても？？？という感じだった橋幸夫さんの、お名前と顔が一致したのもこのドラマだ。

ちなみに、わたしも全話録画しておりました。笑　いつもコメント本当にありがとうございます。今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。

ヌガー

デーパートの北海道フェアなど、あんまり興味がなく…。よく夕方のニュースなどで、子どもの頃〈デパートの○○物産展等に行列をなす大人〉をみて「なんでこんなのに、みんな並んでいるんだろう（出展者に失礼…汗）」と思っていた。
しかしながらコロナも落ち着いて、マスクなしで人ごみに行くことも怖くなくなってきた頃。大阪梅田の阪急デパートで行われる○○フェアに通うようになった。と、言ってもかなり限られていて…。ハワイ・トルコ・イギリスフェアだ。

トルコのみ実際の国には行ったことがないけれど…。最近は〈メキシカン〉にはまっているため、何とも優劣つけがたいが…。日本におけるマイナーな多国の料理の中では1位2位を争うくらい料理が好きだ。ハワイやイギリスに至っては、その国に行かずとも〈日本国内で食べられない店の料理〉が来ていることが多い。そのため、よっぽどの予定が詰まっていない限り足を運ぶようになった。
北海道展だって…。海外、同様きっとそう簡単には行くことが出来ないから人気なのだろう。

この2週間ほどは英国展で、京都から大阪・兵庫方面に行く予定があったので立ち寄ったのだった。すると狙っていたスコーンは大行列。万博ほどではないにしろ…。苦笑　人ごみにも、かなり嫌気がさしてもう帰ろっかなぁと思っていたところ…。なんとっ。ヌガーが売っていた。

わたしは、ほぼ映画の【ハリーポッター】と同学年として育ってきた。そんな【ハリーポッター】の映画や小説の中で「ヌガー」と見聞きするたびに「一体、どんな食べ物なんだろう」と想像を掻き立てられた。そんな焦がれた食べ物が、突然目の前に現れたのだ…。買わないわけがないと、他のスコーンなどに比べたら少し短い列に並んだ。いろんな種類があって〈クロテッドクリーム・メープルナッツ・Wチョコレート・ラムレーズン〉と、想像以上に種類が多くてびっくりした。量り売りだったので5種類くらい1つずつ買って帰った。

社会人になってから始めたダンスに打ち込んでいた時…。一切、砂糖を取っていなかった。デスクワークしかしていなかった頃は、ポイフル(砂糖でコーティングされた酸っぱいグミ)を一瞬で箱から流し飲みするかのように食べていたのに。精製された白い砂糖は筋肉に悪い研究論文しかなく、取らなくなったら…。まるで欲しくなくなった。自分でもびっくりしたダンスを始めての変化だった。ただ最近はそんなわたしも、【スターウォーズ】のデザイン缶欲しさにコーラを飲んだり…。（飲み物も、糖分の入ったものは一切飲まなくなっていた。が、）かなり緩くなっている。

そんなわたしでさえ〈さすがに…〉と思うほどの作り方、バターと砂糖を煮詰めたのがヌガーだ。そんな罪悪感を感じつつも、一口食べたら…。美味しすぎて〈こりゃヤバイ〉と、ちびちび食べるのを心掛けたがあっという間に1週間程度で無くなってしまった。

日課の読書と横断歩道

前回の文章【パトレイバー】でも書いたのだが…。読書と言っても最近、片道40分の運転で日課になったのが〈オーディオブック〉だ。

上下巻合わせて40時間以上もあった【国宝】が、あまりにも面白すぎて…。ずっと聞き続けたら生活に支障が出てしまうと、車の運転中に聴くのが日課となった。そんな【国宝】もあっという間に聴き終わってしまった。

次に何を聴こうと、スマホをスクロールしていると…。なんと【ハリーポッター】が…。ついこの間までヌガーを食べて、【ハリーポッター】の世界を思い出していた物語が…。しかも開いてみると、全7シリーズで180時間以上あるというではないか。最初長いと思っていた40時間の『国宝』もあっという間に感じたので、楽しみに1つ目の『賢者の石』を聴き始めた。それももう2つ目の『秘密の部屋』も中盤に近く、きっと年内あっという間に聞き終わってしまうだろうと思う。そして、ヌガーが出てくるたびに「どんなものだろう…」ではなく「きたーーーっ。わたし知ってる！食べたことあるっ！」と、車で１人盛り上がっている笑

そんな日課となったオーディオブックも、【国宝】を聴き終わった後は少し放心状態だった。映画と小説はかなり違いがあるというのは、何かのネット記事で読んだことがあった。しかしこんなにも、ちがうものかとびっくりした。父喜久雄と娘〈あやの〉の関わり方に目をまん丸にしつつ…。夢を追うとは理想を追うとはこういうことなのか…。と。ラストの描写に映画以上の放心状態だった。あえてどことは書かないが、スクランブル交差点で終わるのだ。虹のような夢を追った主人公のラストシーンに…。もう映画【ブライアン・エプスタイン】とアビーロードの横断歩道を思い出さずにはいられなかった。

おしまい

My Rules for Watching Movies and Writing About Them

I touched on this briefly in my first movie-related piece on Note, "Substance: Eggs, Chickens, and The Shining 🍳," but here are my rules for watching movies and writing about them on Note:

• Choosing a Film: I try to avoid any advance information and decide whether to watch something based solely on the poster or thumbnail image. I find the surprises along the way much more interesting that way.

• When Writing:

  • When writing spoiler-free reviews, I keep them under 140 characters.

  • Even when writing reviews with spoilers, I don't include a detailed plot summary.

  • Before talking about the movie, I always write a personal story as an introduction, which will later relate to the film, almost as a self-introduction each time.

Before the Movie: A Story About Me

In the Bathtub

When I was little, I desperately wanted to take a bath with my mom and dad. We moved when I was in junior high, but the bathtub in our old house wasn't very big. So, as a preschooler, I'd ask my parents, "Hey, hey, let's all take a bath together!"

They were a little taken aback at first, but I wasn't usually the type to push if they said no. For some reason, though, I wouldn't budge this time. The tub was small, so either my dad and I would get in together, or my mom and I would. While they were washing their hair and bodies, I was honestly bored. To keep me entertained, one of them (I can't remember who) suggested we write haiku. For some reason, we'd been writing haiku together in the car on the way to my grandparents' house. I have no idea why that game was popular in our family. Just counting out the five, seven, and five syllables and creating a catchy rhythm was surprisingly satisfying, and I really enjoyed it.

Before taking baths with my parents, my dad said to me before bed, "Let's go see the shooting stars," and set an alarm for early in the morning. I'd never seen a shooting star in my life, except in the opening of Disney movies. I was always the last one in the family to wake up. So, while I was excited, I was also a little scared that I wouldn't be able to wake up. I heard the alarm at around 4:00 AM on November 18th and shook my dad awake. I was so happy that I'd managed to wake up. Obeying my mom's instructions from the night before, "If you're really going, make sure you're warm!", I put on my favorite red plaid coat and walked hand-in-hand with my dad to the embankment less than five minutes from our house. It was the middle of the night in my last year of preschool.

Lying on the embankment, I saw more shooting stars than I could count for the first time in my life. Then my dad told me, "See those three stars in a row? The constellation that looks like a butterfly centered on them is called Orion." After that, my dad bought me a book about stars, and I saw star charts in elementary school, but even now, Orion is the only constellation I can recognize at a glance. When I find Orion, I always think, "Winter's coming..." and remember the slightly damp grass against my back on the embankment where I lay with my dad.

In the bathtub, I think my mom said, "Why don't you make the haiku about when we went to see the meteor shower?" Maybe she wanted to hear about it. I thought hard, saying "How about this?" and they'd say, "How about this instead?" We kept thinking even after we got out of the bath, and finally, as we were sleeping side-by-side on the futon in the Japanese-style room, we came up with a collaborative haiku.

Shooting stars fall down

Painting rainbows in the night

Until the break of dawn

Technically, it has two seasonal words, which is called "kigo kasanari" in haiku and is not good according to haiku rules. However, it seems that seasonal words are sometimes overlapped when composing a poem about the changing of the seasons. I just learned that for the first time. I think I learned various haiku in junior high, high school, and university, but this is the only haiku I can recite.

My Daily Dose of Overseas Dramas and the Emmy Awards

As I wrote in my previous movie review, "The Silence of the Lambs: A Body Temperature You Shouldn't Pass Through," my boss told me on the way home from work, "They're showing 'The Silence of the Lambs' in theaters, and if you're wondering whether to see it... it's definitely interesting, so go see it now." I often talked to that boss about dark works, and he usually recommended things to me, saying, "I'm watching this now, so you should watch it..." (laughs).

But when I asked him, "Have you seen 'Adolescence'? What did you think?" he said, "It was good," but then added, "Maybe you shouldn't watch it..." After listening to him, it was advice that only he, who knew me well, could give. He knew that my mental state was greatly affected by dark works, and he said that it was interesting but "I can't easily recommend it."

A few months after that advice, I finished watching "House of Guinness," which I was introduced to by another person at work, in a flash. Netflix's AI recommended "Adolescence" to me.

"House of Guinness" is the story of the founding of the famous Guinness beer company and the children of the second generation. If "Bridgerton" is pastel and classic, "House of Guinness" is dark and rock.

I was happy to hear the characters in my favorite "This Is Us" talking about "Have you seen it?", when I learned about the job of "intimacy coordinator."And the night after I finished watching "House of Guinness," the busy season was starting to wind down, and I thought, "Maybe I can watch it now..." and started watching "Adolescence" and finished it in one sitting. Or rather, I couldn't stop. I was only able to focus on the one-cut technique for a moment. I was so drawn into the content that it didn't matter whether it was one-cut or not. It reminded me of the movie "Boyhood," which was actually filmed with the same cast over a long period of time. Of course, the content and atmosphere are completely different, but the story outweighs the technique. Wouldn't that be a happy thing for the cast and staff?

After watching the Emmy Award-winning "Adolescence," I thought, "What should I watch next...?" and was scrolling through Note, which is my daily routine. I touched on the Emmy Awards a little in my previous article, "Good Will Hunting," but... before the Emmy Awards were announced, someone was predicting which works would win from among the nominated works.

That person mentioned "The Life Ahead" for most of the awards. It was a drama on Disney Plus that I had put on my watchlist because the thumbnail looked interesting, but I hadn't watched it. After watching "Adolescence," I was watching the speech of "Adolescence" at the Emmy Awards, and... What?! Is that more intense than "Adolescence"? I started watching it, and I finished it in one sitting.

"The Life Ahead"

I was so prepared to cry throughout the whole movie after knowing the comical and beginning situation, but I only cried a few times. I ended up crying at the scene where a friend was yelling "I forgive you."

This alone was enough to write an article about... It was such an intense and good work. If this was a movie instead of an overseas drama... it would definitely have been a long article. I will remember those socks every time I eat tacos from now on... and every time my mom wears her pink Uniqlo fleece in the winter, I will remember her.

"I don't want to die with you. I was imagining a future where we would live together and have a dog." This line, which comes out at the very end. "That's right. I often think about whether I can entrust my life to this person," I couldn't help but sympathize while crying.

Your Note article introduced me to a great work. Thank you so much.

Movies I'm Afraid to Watch

There are some movies that I'm afraid to watch. Or rather, movies that I never want to see again. Movies that I watched once, but decided that I would never watch again if I had to feel like that. It's both the kind of horror that's scary in the literal sense, and movies that only bring back sad memories.

"Any Day Now" I liked Alan Cumming from the overseas drama "The Good Wife" and the movie "Spy Kids" and watched it in theaters. I remember walking home in a daze, with the scenery of the way home burned into my mind.

A movie that I regretted choosing based on the thumbnail's sense

"I Am Sam" I heard that Dakota Fanning was in it, and for some reason I watched it before going to work, and I almost had to take the day off. "War of the Worlds"

"Are there any movies that you never want to see again?" I asked the person who introduced me to "House of Guinness" the other day, and I thought about it every now and then. That's when I remembered "La La Land."

Spoiler-Free Review

Mia is an aspiring actress working at a cafe in LA. She's depressed after failing an audition and is taken to a party by her roommates.

As a musical, the dancing and singing are of course wonderful, but all the colors are like a rainbow. Recommended for people who are still chasing their dreams, and people who used to chase their dreams. A movie for adults. (140 characters)

Review with Spoilers

How Well They're Synchronized

I wrote a little about this in my article on the movie "Kokuhō," but I did rhythmic gymnastics from the age of 3 until I graduated from elementary school. Even though I did rhythmic gymnastics, I was a sloppy child who didn't practice at all except for the one hour of lessons a week. But my eye for it became too good... When I watched rhythmic gymnastics events at the Olympics (the name has recently been changed to Rhythmic Gymnastics in English), I would say "Oh, that's off" or think it, even though I couldn't do it myself.

When I was little, my mom asked me "How about this?" at a rental shop, and I watched "Bring It On," but I found out in the process of searching for images that it had a super luxurious cast. I should watch it again...

In figure skating pairs and ballroom dancing pairs, even if the physiques are different, the key parts of the choreography and the sound are synchronized, and it looks incredibly uncool if they're off. However, the athletes who compete at the world level that I watch on TV never break down even once. I loved watching that synchronized dance.

Even if I squinted from far away, in this famous opening scene, almost everyone is perfectly synchronized. Considering the difference in physique between men and women and the fact that they're on the roof of a car, it was quite high quality. The first time I watched it in the theater, I was excited and nervous, thinking, "Whoa, is it okay to jump like that on top of a car~?" But the second time I watched it, I had the余裕 to watch it carefully.

I usually wear low heels or black sneakers to work, and I change into heels for important appointments... but tap shoes coming out of a bag is something that happens all the time in LA, I thought in my heart during my second viewing.

The "Naatu" Naatu scene in "RRR" easily surpassed this famous scene from "La La Land." It's worth watching for 3 hours just to see "Naatu Naatu." It was the first time I'd seen a dance that made me wonder if it wasn't CG. Recommended for people who have never seen an Indian movie.

Never Watching It Again

When I finished watching "La La Land" in the theater when it was released, I thought, "I'm never watching this again." But when I actually watched it, I was able to feel that it was a "wonderful movie."

Why did I think I would never watch it again back then...? The people who are reading this Note now probably won't believe it at all, but... I was a person who didn't talk about myself or express myself at all. The kind of relationships I had were "I don't know what you're thinking," "What's wrong with being dependent?" and "I want to marry you." These were all words that I was told by three different people I was dating at the time. Instead of expressing myself, I knew what the other person wanted me to do and say. Because I didn't express myself, there was no way they could know what I was thinking. I would do what they wanted me to do like a mother. It's natural to be dependent and to choose me as a marriage partner.

On the other hand, I was gradually wearing myself down. I was putting so much thought into anticipating your thoughts, but I was told "I don't know what you're thinking." The requests for what they wanted me to say and do escalated, and my response became the norm, and then, even though I wanted to distance myself, I was told "What's wrong with being dependent?" Horror. Although it was a different person, after following a similar path, the word "marriage" came out. It was beyond horror, it was the bottom of a dark abyss.

I understand that now. It's Mia in the auditions in "La La Land." I'm doing my best, but... the opposite result always comes back. I don't know if it was before or after the word "marriage" came out... but I watched "La La Land" with that boyfriend.

From the exciting feeling of a favorite musical, dark clouds gradually gathered... I had completely convinced myself with prior information that it would end comically even if it was a bad ending, and I was so depressed that I couldn't get up from my seat next to him.

He and I were watching completely different people, even though we were the same person. I sincerely think that we were able to walk separate lives and be happy.

When I look back on the present from the future... the present is an irreplaceable moment, like a shooting star or a rainbow. Now that I understand that more painfully than when I first watched "La La Land"... it was a movie that permeated me comfortably. "La La Land" is a bittersweet movie for adults disguised as an upbeat musical.

A Rainbow-Like Past, Future, and Drive

Maybe it's because I took my current job... or maybe it's because I'm in contact with so many knowledgeable people every day... I'm pouring out so much personal information on Note. Thanks to the people around me who have patiently and persistently treated me so that I can express myself, I've come to be able to interact with various people with the real me.

Thanks to several loves in the midst of all that, I was able to watch "La La Land" to the end. If I could have spent the future and the time up until now with that boyfriend... the really sad scenes would continue forever in the pop world of "Midnight in Paris" and Woody Allen, which I should love.

But everyone must have thought about it at least once. What if I had been with that person now...? What if I could have spent time with that person...? When I was a child, there was a song that Ayumi Oneesan and Shoko Oneesan sang on Okaasan to Issho. "The rain stopped. The sun came out." That's how the song starts.

I loved this song. One day... I was in the passenger seat of the car that my mom was driving. I was sitting in a child seat for older children... It was probably around the time when we made the haiku in Watashi no Hanashi.

While the wipers were moving right and left at the slowest speed... a rainbow appeared beyond the raindrops on the glass. Rainbows don't appear very often in the area where I lived at the time. "Hey. Can we drive to the beginning of the rainbow?" I asked my mom. With a surprised look, my mom glanced at me on the left and said, "Let's go," and drove off in a direction different from home when the traffic light turned red.

After driving for what felt like 5 to 10 minutes to my child's body... the rainbow disappeared. Since the rainbow disappeared, it shouldn't be a sad memory... but it was really fun. It's a drive that I still remember every now and then. I understand now. No matter how far I drove, I couldn't reach the foot of the rainbow. Surely the non-existent future of a faint love that I imagine is like a rainbow that I can't reach.

That's right. They are not the people I want to die with. They are the people I imagine having a dog with. When I die, I will remember the scene of making the haiku Shooting stars fall down / Painting rainbows in the night / Until the break of dawn... but who will be next to me...? It was a movie that made me think in the midst of pleasant music.

Bonus

Comments on Patlabor

The last article I wrote was about the theatrical version of Patlabor. Someone commented on that article that one of the people I wanted to be when I was a child was Mr. Goto from Patlabor. I thought, what a cool sensibility that person has.

When I went to read that person's Note article... I found a very wonderful poem-like article. It was an article that intertwined with Ghibli works, which are full of my memories. Both the comment and the article made my heart warm. Thank you for the wonderful comment.

Furthermore, someone who always comments mentioned the NHK morning continuous television drama novel Amachan, which I wrote about really briefly.

I can't... I don't know why, but I start crying just by looking at this image

I'm confident I can sing all the original songs from that drama. And not just Ghostbusters, haha! Just like "Niji no Mukou ni," I've come to love "Itsudemo Yume wo." Before this drama, if you mentioned Hideo Hashi's name, I'd be like "???", but this drama is where I finally connected the name to his face.

By the way, I recorded every episode too! Haha. Thank you so much for always commenting. I look forward to your future comments as well.

Nougat

I'm not usually interested in Hokkaido fairs at department stores, I'd only see them on the evening news... When I was a kid, I'd see housewives lined up at department store fairs and think, "Why are they all lining up for this?" (No offense to the exhibitors... haha). But after things calmed down with COVID, and I wasn't as afraid to go into crowded places without a mask, I started going to fairs at the Hankyu Department Store in Umeda. Though it's limited to a few: Hawaii, Turkey, and England.

I haven't actually been to Turkey, but... I'm really into Mexican food lately, so it's hard to say which I like more. But among the more minor international cuisines in Japan, Turkish food is definitely one of my favorites. As for Hawaii and England, they often bring foods that you can't even find in Japan. So, unless I'm really busy, I make a point to go. I guess the Hokkaido fair is popular because it's not easy to go there either, just like going abroad.

In "The Chronicles of Narnia," the Snow Queen gives Edmund Turkish Delight.

For the past two weeks or so, there was a British fair, and I was planning to go to Osaka and Hyogo from Kyoto, so I stopped by. But the line for the scones I wanted was huge. Not quite as bad as the Expo, but... haha. I was getting really tired of the crowds and was thinking about just going home... and then, lo and behold! They were selling nougat.

I basically grew up alongside the "Harry Potter" movies. Every time I saw or heard "nougat" in the movies or books, I wondered what it was like. And then, suddenly, that longed-for food was right in front of me... Of course, I had to buy it! The line was a little shorter than the one for scones. There were so many kinds: clotted cream, maple nut, double chocolate, rum raisin... I was surprised by how many choices there were. It was sold by weight, so I bought one of each of about five kinds.

The actors are a little older than me, but when the movies were released, we were probably the same age. I grew up alongside them.

When I was really into dancing after I started working, I wasn't eating any sugar at all. When I only did desk work, I would eat a whole box of Poifull candies in one go, but once I started dancing, I stopped wanting it because of research papers saying it was bad for muscles. I was surprised myself at the change. But lately, I've been loosening up. I even bought a Coke just for the Star Wars design can (I hadn't been drinking any sugary drinks at all before).

Even I think that nougat is a bit much, since it's basically just butter and sugar cooked down. I felt guilty, but I took a bite and... it was so delicious! I knew I was in trouble. I tried to eat it sparingly, but it was gone in about a week.

Daily Reading and Crosswalks

As I wrote in my last post about "Patlabor"... lately, my daily 40-minute drive has become my time for audiobooks.

"Kokuhou" (National Treasure), which was over 40 hours long in total, was so interesting that I was listening to it all the time. I realized it was interfering with my life, so I made it a habit to listen to it only while driving. But even "Kokuhou" was over before I knew it.

I was scrolling through my phone, wondering what to listen to next... and there was "Harry Potter"! The story I had just been reminded of while eating nougat... And when I opened it, it turned out to be the entire seven-book series, over 180 hours long! But I felt like the 40 hours of "Kokuhou" went by quickly, so I started listening to the first book, "The Sorcerer's Stone." I'm already almost halfway through the second book, "The Chamber of Secrets," and I'm sure I'll be done with it by the end of the year. And every time nougat comes up, instead of wondering what it is, I'm like, "Yes!!!" Haha.

The casting for the "Harry Potter" TV series has been announced, and overseas media that captured the filming scenes wrote that it was being created quite faithfully to the novel. I was thinking of rereading the novel.

After finishing "Kokuhou," I was a little lost. I had read in an article that the movies and the novel were quite different. But I was surprised at how different they were. I was wide-eyed at the way father Kikuo and his daughter Ayano interacted... and the ending left me even more stunned than the movie. I won't say exactly where it ends, but it's at a scramble crossing. I couldn't help but think of the movie "Brian Epstein" and the Abbey Road crosswalk.

The End

-This sentence is being translated by AI.-