The story follows 3 members of a mental asylum, Tsumiji, Coco and Satoru, as they escape from the asylum, and into the real world. On the way, they find a vicar, who changes their out-view on life, by giving them a bible. Tsumiji takes interest and starts believing in god, while Coco believes the world began when she was born. While they look around town, they must walk ontop of the fences and walls to avoid the floor. They read in the bible that the world will end on the 10th July, so they roam around town attempting to find the perfect place for a picnic.
This is my first Iwai film, so I went into this open-minded and was pleasantly surprised. Only lasting 68 minutes, the film is short on time but long on heart. The story is lyrical and original, which is strange as there appears to be no definitive message. The characters are similar to 'I'm a Cyborg, but that's Okay', so this could be seen as a sequel, made before that film. The acting is impressive, making 'Picnic' a perfect character study.
As the characters are constantly walking across walls, the camera points to the sky whenever filming the three characters. Tsumiji, Coco and Satoru seem to be talking about heaven and hell during the entire film, so the camerawork made me feel like they were taking a trip to heaven. The ground being temptation from the devil, and the wall being the stairway to heaven. This film can be interpreted many ways.
The soundtrack contains a dizzying piano score, which crescendos with any plot point. It can be seen as irritating or wonderful, depending on how submerged into the film you are.
TO CONCLUDE
'Picnic' is a gorgeous, small budget film, with big ambitions.
SCORE
78
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