Achilles and the Tortoise (tbc)

Like much of Kitano's previous work, "Achilles and the Tortoise" runs a fine line between comedy and tragedy, a gambit which complements the absurdist life of a failed artist, Machisu (Reikô Yoshioka, Yûrei Yanagi, Takeshi Kitano), as he falls deeper and deeper into maddening self-indulgence.

Three distinct acts follow Machisu as a young boy, art-school student, and middle aged dilettante. The spoilt son of a rich business man, Machisu is actively encouraged to develop his modest artistic talents. His father's suicide snatches him from an idyllic childhood and begins the raft of tragedies that will infect his entire life.

His brief art-school tenure teaches him only to ape maestros rather than, as an insidious art dealer consistently encourages him, develop his own unique style. As we reach the final third of the feature we see Machisu devising more and more ridiculous methods of creating lucrative art - aided, and entirely funded, by his long suffering wife.

Kitano's creative control is typically all-encompassing. Writing, directing, editing, and starring, as well as contributing all of the hundreds of works of art on show throughout the film. His megalomaniacal touch allows him to maintain a consistent sense of narrative and character, which, given the detached nature of the lead, are necessary to generate any sense of empathy.

However, Kitano seems less at home in the editing suite. Consistently sharp cutting means that is often unclear how much time has passed between one scene and the next. Couple this with his habit of cutting in after the beginning of a scene, and you end up with passages were the audience is constantly playing catch-up.

While this is a more personal story than the Yakuza/Cop based fare Kitano is most well known for, it still displays his trademark flair for superb comic timing, affecting tragedy and a sadistic sense of the macabre. The off kilter ending and the lack of any real relation to the titular paradox detract from what is, overall, a competent picture.

Katsumi Yanagishima (Cinematography) and Norihiro Isoda (Production Design) work well to bring together distinct back-drops which accurately mirror the shifts in the story, while the tone of the piece remains largely consistent. Original musical compositions by Yuki Kajiura are sparse, but effectively utilized.