BERLINALE 2012: The End of Puberty (Koi Ni Itaru Yamai)

Feb. 18 Satsukawa Aimi Comments Off
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After attending this year’s Berlin International Film Festival I thought I should take the time to review one of the only films that really stood out for me (unfortunately I only got to see six), that being the wonderfully original Japanese gender-switcher from newcomer Kimura Shoko. I was lucky enough to attend the screening that Shoko herself attended and so got to witness the very interesting Q&A that followed the film. In this article I will review the film and follow it with my analysis and some of what I noted from the Q&A. Please enjoy and do leave any comments you have below. If you’ve seen the film, I’d love to know what you thought of it!


Film: The End of Puberty/Koi Ni Itaru Yamai
Movie Labyrinth Rating: “Awesome”
Standard Rating: 7.5/10
Running Time: 116 mins
Director: Kimura Shoko
Cast: Wagatsuma Miwako, Saito Yoichiro, Satsukawa Aimi, Sometani Shota.


Sometimes feeling more like an anime than a live action film, with its overly exaggerated, high energy, kooky character performances and 8bit music score; The End of Puberty opens with obsessed schoolgirl Tsubara (Wagatsuma Miwako) fawning over her nerdy, flustered teacher Mr. Madoka (Saito Yoichiro) as he struggles to hold his lesson together. As the rest of the classes’ attentions wander, Tsubara is seen feverishly scribbling something into a notebook which turns out to be an extensive list of the daily idiosyncrasies that Madoko displays each class as his frustration and panic rises as a result of his powerlessness.  The rest of the notebook is devoted to many drawings depicting the fusing together of Tsubara and Madoko via their genitals, finishing with a complete swap… 

If this isn’t strange enough, Tsubara’s perverse dream comes true when she literally pounces of Madoko one day after class and following a confused sexual tumble the magic is complete much to Madoko’s horror and to Tsubara’s delight. The two escape to the countryside to hide while they decide what to do, Madoka now bursting into fits of wretching at even the slightest touch from Tsubara. No sooner that they have retreated to Madoko’s secluded childhood home that are they followed by En (Satsukawa Aimi), the enigmatic best friend of Tsubara who is secretly in love with her and then by Maru (Sometani Shota), the puppy dog-like admirer of En completing a crazy love circle.  What ensues is a story not just about the trials and sexual confusion of adolescence but also a fresh and unique take on the body-swap genre which causes us to question the importance of gender altogether. Should we allow our genders define who we are?


What made this film so enjoyable for me was its distinctly Japanese feel. Only in Japan would you find such a bizarrely premised film with a cast of caricature-like characters, so exaggerated they are; while also managing to convey a deeper meaning, raising questions that are fundamental the society we live in.

My thoughts and notes from Q&A with Kimura Shoko: WARNING! *Spolier Alert!*
Kimura Shoko at  the Berlinale screening of the film
It was my impression that the film was a highly progressive statement on the standing of gender in society and in Japanese society in particular. To me it suggested that gender is immaterial and we should not allow it to define us as humans. We are not men and women, we are simply people. This was best displayed by Madoko’s changing attitude. Madoko’s first reaction to the swap is horror (understandably) and he refuses to accept the situation believing his life is ruined. After all, his status as a man has been compromised. However as the film progresses Madoko begins to gain courage and he starts to take control of his powerlessness as oppose to hiding in the wardrobe as he did in the beginning of the film. Although the ending is ambiguous as to whether Madoko and Tsubara’s genitals are returned to their original state;  if we read it as if they don’t it is easy to assume that Madoko has come to the realisation that his genitals need not define him as a person, it is his actions that do so. This is similar to Tsubara, who obsessively maintains a diet of supplements in an effort to preserve her body after she dies so that no one will forget her- it is not her body that will make people remember, it is her actions.
However, during the Q&A which followed the film I was very surprised to hear Shoko’s own  ideology behind the film as my ideas contrasted so vastly to hers! The idea of  “” came to mind upon leaving the cinema. She stated that the original premise of the film came from the idea of the possessive nature of the teenage girl that is manifested in Tsubara’s wish to swap genitals in order to possess Madoka. She also stated that she believes, in a society where women have gained more power through the women’s rights movement, that the traditional role of the dominant male in relationships has been compromised. Though she thinks the progress made in women’s rights are a good thing, she also believes that men and women should not be equal in a relationship. She believes that the traditional male dominant role in a relationship should be restored. This is why she restores Madoka’s male prowess at the end of the film so that he is able to stop the volatile Tsubara from running away. Again I repeat how surprised I was to hear this, especially coming from a woman, as I feel the idea is very counterproductive to a modern society.   
Shoko also announced that though she intended the question of whether or not the genitalia were reverted to their normal state at the end of the film to be open to interpretation, she herself believed that in fact they were. This of course reinforces the above idea of traditional male dominance but at the same time (to me anyway) renders a very boring and conservative ending to the film and I find it is far more interesting to assume that they didn’t revert. It raises far more interesting questions (as discussed above).

Other interesting points that were raised were the subjects of name and costume. All of the characters’ names; Tsubara, Madoko, En and Maru  are apparently written with the same Japanese characters which Shoko intended to denote a sense of unity or circle. Likewise each of the characters’ costumes hold significance. Tsubara is always seen wearing bright reds to emphasise her energy. En always wears greys and blues to emphasise her boredom with life. Maru wears bright greens and pink to show his energy like Tsubara, while Madoko frequently wears beige, white and black to emphasise how boring and unadventurous he is.


However contrasting our ideas, with this astounding first feature I feel the young Kimura Shoko (only 25!) will be one to watch in the future!  





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