Introduction

With so many Japanese feature-length movies coming out, one would easily forget there is a very active short-film circuit in Japan. Every year, the Japanese Film Festival in Hamburg grants audiences a taste of the creativity of these short-film directors. This time, we have the honour to introduce one of Koji Oniki’s latest works: Faaawww!!!

Review

On a riverbank, a golfer (Kosuke Hoshi) is approached by two punks (Yasushi Yasuda) (Junichi Kamezawa) about the head-injury his practicing caused. While the punks demand that he apologizes, he retorts that he warned them by yelling Faaawww! at the time he hit the ball.

Faaawww! is a horror-comedy narrative that comically plays with the idea of the Freudian Uber-Ich. Without spoiling too much, after committing a heinous crime, one of the punks become unable to transgress the law or, more precisely, assume to be the law to commit criminal acts.

The Freudian Uber-Ich attains, in a certain way, ghostly presence, echoing a peculiar signifier whenever he is about to transgress the law. It ultimately forces our punk to go straight. Yet, does the disappearance of the signifier of this ghostly Uber-ich mean that our punk has been forgiven for the crime that installed this horrifying presence?   

The composition is quite simple and straightforward – the opening minutes are a mere concatenation of static shots. Yet, by playfully using the cut, Oniki does not only create a good visual flow, but a rhythm that enhances the light-hearted and comical flavour of the interactions between our punks and the golfer.

Yet, to heighten the tension in the middle of his narrative and the impact of the sudden twist, Oniki does fleetingly rely on spatial dynamic shots. From this moment on, Oniki integrates more dynamic moments within his composition. This subtle shift eventually culminates in a highly energetic and dynamic finale that pleasantly combines comedy with horror. It is this finale, which is also rich in fluidly integrated visual decorations, that Koji Oniki proves his skill and mastery over the short-film.

Faaawww!!! is a pleasant and very creative short-film. Koji Oniki’s narrative might start off as a simple comedy, but eventually transforms in a well-crafted horror-comedy. Oniki’s twisted finale does not only visually impress but also underlines that the hunger of the Uber-Ich is never stilled.