Harakiri

Une histoire dramatique magnifiquement structurée sur l’honneur, la vengeance et les valeurs morales. Les informations transmises au spectateur sont dosées avec précision de sorte que les pièces du puzzle s’emboîtent joliment à la fin. Il est clair dès le début que le personnage central ne fonce pas tête baissée et doit d'abord élaborer un plan ; comme on le constate par la suite, tout se passe comme sur des roulettes et, pourtant, le spectateur parvient encore à se faire surprendre. Un spectacle très impressionnant avec quelques combats de samouraïs hauts en couleur. (03/01/2020)

An open  (not only the realistic depiction of the titular act) criticism of relationships in Japanese society at the end of the Edo era. Starving Ronin commit harakiri, the women suffer in silence, children die early. Poverty, pain, hopelessness. Kobayashi can elicit strong emotions using minimal formalistic means. Of all camera movements, he gives priority to dolly shots. And the characters stand or (more frequently) sit, and he doesn’t need to raise or lower the camera thanks to the well-chosen initial placement. Not only do we see what is necessary, the placement of the characters in the space also corresponds to their social status. The film is therefore a joy to watch even if you are not interested in the story or the unusual way it is told (flashbacks clarifying other flashbacks). The predominant part of Harakiri comprises dialogue scenes which, thanks to the directing and the music by Tôru Takemicu (who collaborated with, among others, the avantgarde director Hiroshi Teshigahara), are just as thrilling as the lengthy sword fights in the final minutes. If you let yourself be carried away by this film, you definitely will not stay with it only because of those. 85% (03/06/2011)