4 min. read
Homeless street musician Kyrie (AiNA THE END) is unable to normally communicate verbally but is able to sing beautifully soulful songs with her guitar. When she encounters an old friend Maori (Hirose Suzu), now a city girl going by Ikko, they agree to team up as talent and manager respectively. When their pasts catch up to them, both Kyrie and Maori must confront their mistakes, losses, and traumas to bring Kyrie’s voice back out into the world.
After films such as Swallowtail Butterfly and All About Lily Chou Chou, director Shunji Iwai returns to the music film genre with Kyrie; a soulful drama about the high and low notes in life, based on his own novel, titled “Kyrie no Uta” or “Kyrie’s Song.” AiNA THE END, hereinafter referred to as AiNA, makes her major feature debut alongside well established actress Hirose Suzu and a number of both actors and musicians in cameos and minor parts.
The character Kyrie is a wildly sympathetic character, having overcome a severe trauma and quiet sadness; she’s a determined person and hopeful, not bubbly but, in a realistic and admirable way. Of course, as a former idol known for her husky voice, AiNA’s vocal talents are on full display with a wide selection of songs including covers of major hits by Yonezu Kenshi, Aimyon, and more as well as acoustic, acapella, and studio produced songs as the story permits. Her evocative voice really captures the audience and Iwai makes good use of it in both her musical performances as well as her more dialogue heavy scenes in the film’s impactful last act.
Hirose’s Maori is a much more animated character to pair with the withdrawn Kyrie, but their friendship feels very real even when both make frustratingly glaring mistakes. It’s a testament to the chemistry between these young actresses as well as the technical direction of Iwai. Male lead Matsumura Hokuto delivers a great performance as Maori’s tutor and Kyrie’s brother with his interactions giving richness to the two female leads’ relationship as well as driving the revelatory final act and his own sorrow and attempts to move forward. The always terrific Kuroki Haru features in an important and minor role and guest appearances from singers like Ai Otsuka, Keiichi Suzuki, and Megumi Okina as well as film director Higuchi Shinji. These roles are all fairly minor but entrust a worldview of the main three principal actors that inform their identity and motivations.
Iwai uses a non-linear format as well as a shifting protagonist to reveal information and history between these characters making quiet moments more impactful and tense interactions more meaningful in subsequent viewings. Iwai reteams with cinematographer Kanbe Chigi; they previously collaborated in Iwai’s film The Case of Hana & Alice, A Bride for Rip Van Winkle, and Last Letter. The photography is intimate when multiple characters share the screen; with fly-on-wall handheld shots dominating the interior scenes and a much more vast perspective with outdoor scenes or with less onscreen characters. This highlights the loneliness or affection between the actors as well as the weight of their actions or epiphanies. Iwai is a master at contemplative realization and while his characters are always interesting misfits, this helps to enforce the distance between each character, both emotionally and spatially.
In the end, Kyrie is an emotional rollercoaster that features an impressive, if not commanding, debut from AiNA THE END as well as a musically rich and beautifully shot picture. While it may run a little long for many viewers, running just under three hours, I felt its pacing very intentional and merited when considering the breadth of the relationships and length of time of the actors and I look forward to the expanded television adaptation which is supposed to include additional scenes and more left on the cutting room floor. Iwai wins again with this richly dense and memorable drama that should have you thinking about it for days after watching. Also, be sure to check out AiNA THE END’s album of the same name featuring more polished versions of the songs sung in the film; it’s like a nice expansion of that world alongside the fabled Yentown Band and Lily Chou-Chou.
Kyrie was reviewed for the 17th edition of Japan Cuts which runs from July 10 through 21.
