The original Yellow Kid was a popular American comic strip character from theend of the 19th century, appearing in Richard F. Outcault’s Hogan’sAlley. A strange looking child shaved bald (a measure againsthead lice) with big ears, buck teeth, and dressed in a hand-me-down yellownightdress, the Yellow Kid was the unlikely hero of the lower classes in Outcault’s bitingsatire of urban American life.
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| Outcault's original 19th century Yellow Kid |
The conceit of Tetsuya Mariko’s film Yellow Kid (イエローキッド, 2010), is that 100 years afterOutcault stopped drawing the Yellow Kid, a Japanese manga-ka named Hattori (RyoIwase) published his own version of the Yellow Kid under the pseudonym Iga Taro in which a down-and-outstreet kid transforms himself into a powerful boxer. Justas the original comic strip colourfully incorporated images and ideas fromAmerican pop culture such as advertising signs and vaudeville, Mariko’s filmblends live action drama with colourful illustrations from the Yellow Kid mangawhich the director drew himself.
The central character, Shiro Tamura (Kaname Endo), has little goingfor him in life. Orphaned at a youngage, his grandfather took charge of his upbringing until he also passedaway. Unable to hold down a job, Tamuralives in a decrepit house with his senile grandmother and tries to get by on hermeagre pension. Inspired by Hattori’smanga, Tamura clings to the one ray of hope in his life: training at the localboxing club.
When Hattori comes to the boxing club in search of inspiration for asequel to Yellow Kid, it gives Tamura new hope that he can make something ofhimself. The boxer who had inspiredHattori in his earlier work, Mikuni (Kazuki Namioka), is not only no longer boxing but also livingwith Hattori’s ex-girlfriend Mana (Mari Machida). He eventually settles on Tamura as his newmodel for the Yellow Kid, but Tamura’s fragile mental state is pushed to itslimits by the thug Emoto (Hideki Tamai) and the line between what is real and what is not real begins to blur.
Yellow Kid explores the world of people on the verge of fallingbetween the cracks. Directionless kids withno family support. Elderly peoplewithout appropriate nursing care. Disastersjust waiting to happen. Although thereis little cheer in this film, it is strangely compelling due in a large part tothe terrific performances of the actors and the fascinating colour palette ofthe film which mimics the vibrant hues of the manga and associates certaincolours with certain characters (Tamura/yellow, Hattori/red, etc.). The tension simmering in Tamura slowly buildsthroughout the film and explodes in a final half hour that is not for the faintof heart. It’s quite impressive for adebut feature film, and promises more good things to come from TetsuyaMariko.
Check out Tom Mes of Midnight Eye interviewing Tetsuya Mariko about Yellow Kid atthe IFFR 2010:
Director:
Tetsuya Mariko
Starring:
Shiro Tamura (Kaname Endo)
Hattori (Ryo Iwase)
Mana (Mari Machida)
Mikuni (Kazuki Namioka)
Emoto (Hideki Tamai)
Boxing club owner (Denden)
The event was sponsored by Nippon Connection:
Catherine Munroe Hotes 2011
