An Eiji Okuda Film
Are you a Meisei Girls' High student? Good morning.
Doing some studying on the ferry? What you reading?
There she is.
Let me escort you to the Ladies' Academy, ma'am...
Stop it!
They are swimming!
Get a rope.
Thank you very much.
Oh, no!
Maria Callas... Tosca!.
Mr. Kishida, we know you're in there.
We just need a few seconds to talk things over.
So he's up to the same old tricks. We won't fall for it.
We've come all the way out here. Have mercy on us, please!
Just show us your face, sir. It won't take long.
What do we do?
Shuichi. Do it.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Attention please!
A man named Kazuo Kishida lives here in this apartment.
He has borrowed money from us.
He was supposed to pay us back 4 months ago.
He hasn't even paid us back interest, let alone what he borrowed.
We've called him so many times but
Hey there, lady! Listen to this horrible story.
Mr. Kishida has no intention of paying us back.
It's as if we're the bad guys! Mr. Kishida is making us look...
Hello. Take off the chain, will you?
Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you.
You borrow money, you pay it back!
Mr. Kishida, good to see you.
There's nothing to be scared of. This is your last chance though...
Let's see what we can do.
I guess you have something right here that you could sell.
Coming with us, Mariko?
I have to be home early. Make sure the teachers don't see you.
Don't worry. See you tomorrow.
Hello.
Thank you for this morning.
I missed the chance to thank you. You got yourself wet for me...
I'm grateful for what you did...
but it wouldn't have happened if your friend had left me alone.
I realized one sheet of music is missing.
It's a sheet from Puccini's Tosca. It belonged to Maria Callas.
It was my special good-luck charm.
You owe me!
It is irreplaceable but
you could repay me by helping me. I'm being stalked.
Be my bodyguard.
Please!
We stand out because of our school uniform.
Weirdoes are often waiting for us to come out of school.
Like stalkers.
We'll have to stay late because the competition is soon...
I belong to a chorus club.
We're the best in Yamaguchi prefecture.
Anyway...
Whatever, just eat.
I want you to protect us on our way home.
Can you do it?
That'll make us even for the music sheet.
That worries me, you know.
Club and Mr. Sugimori's lessons are going to keep you late.
Somebody from your dad's company can pick you up.
A fetish for high school uniforms? How disgusting!
I'll be OK. I'll walk back with the others.
Is Dad coming home late again?
He's starting another company. He has a lot of work.
How can you stand such a person?
If I were you, I'd get a divorce.
A secret? What is it?
It's a secret!
Wait right here.
I asked him to be our bodyguard.
He's handsome!
He's so tall.
What are you doing out in the open? We should hide.
I haven't asked you your name yet.
My name's Mariko Iwata.
It means "girl of truth.'' How about you?
You have no name?
The man with no name.
The ferry for Moji Port is departing soon.
Passengers, please approach the pier.
You can go now. I'll see you again tomorrow.
It sounds stupid...
Body...
guard...
Bodyguard.
It reads, "Masato."
Masato Credollo.
Sounds too Italian.
Just Kure.
Masato Kure.
Masato Kure...
Ms. Akikawa.
Yes, Dean?
What are you looking at?
Go away.
Hey, keep moving.
What is he?
I figured out your name.
She's here.
We've been waiting all day!
You scared me!
Don't be scared of me. We've often spoken on the phone.
Hey, stay out!
Of course we'll stay out. We don't want no illegal entry.
Unless you invite us in for tea.
I'm sure we can resolve the situation we're in.
I wouldn't want to bother you at work.
Please don't...
You owe us 2,652,121 yen.
With interest, can you keep up the monthly payments?
I can introduce you to somebody who can lend you more.
Office job by day, sex worker at night.
It's obvious what she's got coming to her.
Why do you think she borrowed money from us?
She has no hope for the future...
You said it, Shuichi.
Who is the man who's been ambushing you at the gate?
He's not ambushing us!
Waiting for you then.
He's my cousin, ma'am.
As you're aware, Dean...
there has been strange men stalking our school.
The police don't do anything about it.
So I decided to do something and asked my cousin to help.
Right?
Stalkers don't know when to quit.
The last thing you want is a headline, "Meisei Student Abducted!"
I've also been stalked.
Who do you think is better, these girls or the woman earlier?
These girls of course. Definitely!
Look at their tits! Feel their smooth complexion!
On the night you were teased by a drunk
In the dark corner of a back alley
You were still 16
Now you put color on your nails
Deep, deep red manicure
That woman today, she'll tumble like a rolling stone.
Tumble right into the Kanmon Straits!
One thing bothers me...
I feel so miserable...
You're chasing around a girl who's still a baby.
I'm so embarrassed! Shame on you!
Here, sweety.
Hey, where are you going, girls?
You smell so nice... Just like the Virgin Mary.
Who suggested taking this short cut?
Sorry, it's usually okay but...
What are you whispering about?
Go!
Hey, wait for us!
No need to run away.
We're nice guys. We won't do anything to hurt you.
We'll be gentle.
I'll bust your head open!
Yo, how long has it been?
How've you been?
Is he your friend?
We went to the same junior high.
He was the big boss and I was his deputy.
That's cool. What kind of job do you have?
Don't you know what he does? He does...
What do you do anyway?
Come to my place some day. We'll have a party.
Sure.
See you.
I was so scared...
About having you as a bodyguard...
The idea just came to me at the time.
The music sheet thing was just an excuse.
I was surprised to see you the next day.
The girls thought it was fun.
I was happy to see you.
But you know...
I don't even know your name. Not even your cell phone number.
I don't know what to call you.
Why don't you tell me your name?
What's your name?
You make me do all the talking! Why don't you say something?
The Moji ferry will depart soon.
Fine, don't tell me! I'll tell you what your name is.
You're Masato Kure. I'll call you Masato, alright?
Bye.
"Sugimori's Vocal Training"
"Dear Masato, have some cold water."
Have you finished changing?
Yes, sir.
Come this way please.
Now spread your legs.
Okay.
Here I come.
Stop it! It tickles!
Be still now.
Do you feel it down there?
Do you feel it?
What's going on?
You pervert!
No! What are you doing?
So he's your boyfriend, Mariko?
You made a big mistake.
He's not a boyfriend. He's my bodyguard.
His name is Masato.
I'm sorry...
This is an exercise for voice training.
In opera, your body is your instrument.
To have a fantastic voice, you need to tune your body.
You have big muscles.
Um... I'm terribly sorry.
This strengthens your diaphragmatic respiration. Give it a try.
I'll wait outside.
My dream is to be in the opera one day.
I'll be a prima donna...
In my dreams.
I want to go to a music academy so I'll take exams next year.
What do you think?
What do you mean?
When I was in elementary school... I was in 5th grade.
Mom and Dad took me to an opera that came to Fukuoka.
It was La Traviata.
It was gorgeous and beautiful...
but a little sad.
It was in Italian so I didn't understand it but was so moving.
That's when I dreamed to become an opera singer.
So...
What's your dream?
Do you have any?
A dream...
Good evening sir!
What are you grinning about?
Give me a Shochu.
One shochu, coming up.
Do you have a dream, Mr. Tamaru?
A dream?
You sound like a teenager.
I thought about it. But I have none.
All I ever wanted was to become tough.
Then you took me in...
I wrote in a school essay that I wanted to be a baseball player.
Dad had little money but he bought me a bat and a glove.
Before I knew it I was hanging out
with older kids and threatening local kids with my bat.
Your shochu.
When I was 26, I got beaten up by another gang...
I thought I was going to die, and if you didn't saved me...
Dreams just disappoint you when they don't come true.
Some people can afford to dream.
For guys like us, dreams just get in our way.
You got a high school girlfriend?
She's not a girlfriend.
What've you got in mind?
Well, it's none of my business but just a bit of advice.
She'd leave you if she knew what you are.
So give her up.
Her world is so different from ours.
It wouldn't work out.
You're right.
I can see the temptation of a young girl though...
It's time for the autumn competition.
We'll sing what we've been practicing for the optional piece.
Ave Maria from Cavalleria Rusticana.
The compulsory piece is Mother
by Shigeaki Saegusa and Masahiko Shimada.
It's from the opera, Junior Butterfly.
Attention please.
I've chosen the soloist.
Yoshino Imagawa.
This is a great opportunity for you.
We're aiming high for a great performance.
Do your very best.
Teacher's pet...
I feel sorry for Mariko...
What's up?
Nothing new, huh?
We need to get into dealing.
We have to make more money so...
You once said that you'd do anything but never drugs.
I know things are tough but...
I want to keep Ryoji and Shuichi out of trouble.
I act like I work for the loan company but after all I'm just a yakuza.
You're not a yakuza yet but what other options have you got?
You'll get more money and be more popular than you are as a loan shark.
Help me out.
Okay...
Have you got the time?
I'm late for something...
Are you?
Excuse me.
Can I have a word with you, Ms. Akikawa?
I love sukiyaki.
It's good with a raw egg.
Yum! What's for dinner?
I don't know yet.
What is it?
Why didn't you choose me as the soloist for the competition?
I figured Ms. Imagawa's voice suits the songs we'll sing.
But she has a weak voice and she's much too unstable.
I don't think she'll be ready in time for the competition.
Mariko, you have to understand that the chorus is a team effort.
Not a one-woman act.
I know that you're good.
But I told you many times to listen to the others when you sing.
If you stand out, chorus doesn't work.
You destroy the harmony of the group.
You'll have the same issue when you go to the academy.
Even a soloist has to go with the whole.
lf you don't create harmony, it's no good.
You think I'm not soloist material?
You'll encounter better singers than you at the academy.
If you're not prepared to go all the way, you'd better give up.
Not everybody can be a prima donna.
Maybe...
you didn't choose me because...
Stop. Wait a minute.
Leave me alone.
What's wrong?
Leave me alone.
But you're crying.
I'm not crying.
Let go of me.
Let go!
I quit.
You quit what?
None of your business.
It doesn't matter.
What happened?
I'll quit singing, I'll quit school, everything.
It's over now.
Quit singing? What about your dream?
It's waste of time chasing my dream if it doesn't come true.
Can you quit just like that? You put so much into it.
I hardly put anything into it.
It's all a waste of time.
Pointless.
A stupid, meaningless waste of time!
Nothing matters!
Yeah...
I did put a lot into singing.
I practice harder than anybody.
And for what? So someone else could be the soloist.
Somebody who's only been doing chorus for less than a year!
lf I'm not good enough I might as well quit!
You've held onto this dream for 6 years.
La Traviata. Opera. Don't give up.
Don't say anymore!
You don't even have a dream. What do you know?
Who the hell are you?
Why are you even with me?
Why are you following me around?
Because I'm... a bodyguard.
A bodyguard?
But you don't take care of the other girls?
Stop acting like a stalker.
I'm your bodyguard.
My bodyguard? Only mine?
Then tell me your name.
lf you're my bodyguard, then tell me your name.
There ain't no bodyguard that would keep his name a secret!
Come on. Tell me.
What's your name?
My name...
Yes.
My name is...
I'm...
Masato.
That's enough!
Enough of this bodyguard thing. I don't ever want to see you!
The statement "n=k+1"...
also holds true.
Now, "n" is any given natural numbers.
We'll try to prove by mathematical induction...
Hey.
Pay attention, okay?
Looks about right.
Got to seal this tight...
I talked to the fellas. We'll start dealing tomorrow.
Where is Ryoji?
Ryoji.
What do you think you're doing?
Big brother...
You're a pusher, not a junky! What's wrong with you!
Stop it brother!
It's your fault.
Because you started dealing. He's weak and scared.
He's not tough enough to resist...
Shut up.
Not tough enough?
What kind of yakuza would admit that he's not tough?
We're not even yakuza!
We're a bunch of losers who'll never make it!
You have a chance.
But our only chance is to follow you around.
Don't answer back!
Look at this idiot. How can he follow me like this?
Remember what you said about Mr. Tamaru?
You said we'd be alright because he won't deal drugs.
Now look what you've done!
You were always my hero. I respected you!
Go get a hit then screw the high school girl!
Hello?
You stink.
What?
Get up.
Come on, wake up!
How did you find me?
I looked all over for you.
I asked around. Some guys were pretty scary too.
Finally, I found your loser friends downstairs.
Idiots... They talk too much.
About the other day...
I wanted to apologize to you.
So...
Sit down.
That's strange...
Dreams...
Everybody has a dream or two.
How could I say that you didn't have any?
I'm sorry.
Don't! Get off me!
No!
'Stop it!'(Korean)
'Don't touch me, asshole!' (Korean)
'Stop it or I'll kill myself!' (Korean)
â€˜Damn! That stupid shit!â€?
'Idiot... Idiot!'
â€˜Who am I...?â€?
â€˜What am I...? Who am I?â€?
What?
What are you doing?
What do you want?
â€˜Mom!â€?
She isn't home.
Oh, there you are. Why didn't you answer me?
Why are you out of breath?
A guest? Why didn't you say so?
That hurt!
Hello.
Hi, I'm Mariko Iwata.
Look how lovely she is.
Seong-Mun, show her around.
Not that there's much to show...
She sure is a pretty little thing, isn't she?
I'm Seong-Mun Jo. I¡¯m Korean.
Seong-Mun is a very nice name.
You finally told me your name.
That's Dad. He died when I was 22.
Dad was a butcher.
He had a university degree, but it didn't help.
Being a butcher was all he could do.
Who's she?
My Grandma.
Hello, Grandma.
Grandma's always like that.
Her legs are weak now and doesn't get around much.
She's completely senile.
Have dinner with us?
Mom! She's staying for dinner!
It's delicious.
Are we celebrating something, Sun-ja? Did somebody die?
My idiot son finally brought a girl home.
We're celebrating it.
Let's toast to the occasion.
Cheers!
Min-Ja, why don't you sing?
Mother...! Look at you!
Mariko?
Is your family name "Iwata?"
Yes.
You're from Moji city?
Is your father the president of Iwata Shipping Company?
Yes. Do you know my father?
Well, it's such a big company.
Everybody knows his name.
Is that a Meisei High School's uniform?
It is.
Then you'd better stay clear of my idiot son.
He's nothing but trouble.
Mom, that hurt!
I wouldn't call you an idiot if you weren't one, right!
What's going on?
How come you were eating like that?
Where did you learn that?
How come you know?
I know the way Koreans do things.
Is it because you're married to Dad?
What am I?
Japanese or Korean?
You're Japanese.
Why? Because Dad got naturalized?
But I¡¯m still half Japanese and half Korean, aren't I?
It isn't fair that I can't choose what I want.
It¡¯s like it's predetermined.
Nationality doesn't matter very much.
You're our daughter, that's who you are.
That's such an evasive answer.
I¡¯m having an identity crisis here.
Am I Japanese or am I Korean...?
That is the question.
I know that you've been secretly studying Korean.
I was so impressed. It¡¯s a great thing.
Mom, do you love Dad?
Why do you ask?
Come on, do you or not?
I love him. I always have.
How's it going?
Are you handling it okay?
The drugs...
Oh, I¡¯m doing just fine.
Good. I don't have to worry.
I told the Boss about you. He wants to meet you soon.
Oh, thank you so much.
It¡¯s time you joined the family.
When I was telling the Boss about you
he gave me this to give you. It¡¯s time to lose your cherry.
Inside are photos and also info. Do you understand that?
A middleman in our drug deals and their cut is big.
Without them, we'd be making more.
So a little culling is required.
Can you handle it?
You're not one of us yet so you can say no.
I¡¯ll do it.
Good. You have a week to do it.
Here.
Buy something to pull it off.
See you later.
Mr. Tamaru.
Is this because I¡¯m Korean?
Is it because I¡¯m Korean I have to be the bullet?.
What do you think?
I don't know.
But maybe instead...
Make this my dream for a person that has none.
Hey, big guy!
I¡¯ll be right with you.
You want to borrow my car?
Yeah.
What for?
Nothing really...
OK, whatever.
Not that one, you idiot!
On the night you were teased by a drunk
In a dark corner in the back alley
You were still 16
Now you wear paint on your nails
Deep, deep red manicure
Now the color's on your lips too
Deep, deep red lipstick
Your innocence has gone
Ms. Akikawa.
I¡¯m so sorry.
You've come back.
I¡¯m back.
Ms. Akikawa.
Is it because I¡¯m a Korean Japanese...
that you treat me differently?
Am I correct?
I never treated you differently. No matter what your nationality.
I¡¯ve never known your heritage.
Then why...
You can believe whatever you want.
Something fails and you can blame your background.
Listen, Ms. Iwata.
Maybe it was you who built that wall around yourself?
I never really thought about discrimination.
Nobody's ever bullied me for who I am...
But I guess I¡¯ve always secretly felt threatened by my origins.
Maybe I just pretended that I never minded...
Really I was always afraid that I¡¯d be picked on.
But now I realize that isn't important.
Who I think I am is most important.
I beg of you, Ms. Akikawa.
I just love singing.
Let me join the club again.
You'll be okay.
You have the strength to cope with any kind of hardship
no matter what it is.
Mariko!
Sorry I skipped practice for so long. Let me join you.
What took you so long?
- We've been waiting for you! - Oh, we missed you.
Don't do it again!
Were you busy with a new boyfriend?
I¡¯m glad you're back.
Stand there.
Attention!
Mariko's boyfriend is Korean!
I¡¯ll forgive you just this once.
It¡¯s so old-fashioned to say such a thing.
Okay, let's practice. To your positions!
Come on, Yoshino! You're the soloist.
Hello.
Is Seong-Mun home?
"Hello, Grandma."
"Oh, it's you! Come in and sit down."
I knew you could talk.
'Thank you.'
Is Seong-Mun home?
I haven't seen him for some time. I want to give him this.
"Rumbling Sea Chorus Competition''
Seong-Mun...
'A touch-me-not bloomed in the yard'
'How sad you look, lonely as can be'
'On a hot day, in a long, long summer'
'In the backyard pretty flowers bloom'
'Beautiful girls in their prime'
'Play with you in their hands'
It's beautiful.
Korean girls used to play like this.
At the festivals for each season we wore chima jeogori
and played on the kune.
The kune?.
A swing.
We hung a rope over a tall tree.
And we swung on the swing higher and higher.
I felt like a flying nymph.
It sounds nice.
The wind feels nice, doesn't it?
Mr. Tamaru.
Seong-Mun...
What's wrong with you? Are you scared or something?
When are you going to shoot him?
It¡¯s difficult because he has many guards.
You're embarrassing me, you understand?
They think I made a mistake?
Soon your own life will be...
I understand that.
"Rumbling Sea Chorus Competition''
The man will come to this concert.
His daughter will be singing there.
Got it? Don't miss this chance.
How's your grandmother?
Fine.
How old is she?
85 years old.
Really...
Didn't you say she had bad legs?
You know...
Old people are very vulnerable when fires break out.
Your neighborhood wouldn't survive a fire.
My men are reckless.
They're always looking for trouble.
Wait, Su-il!
Su-il, wait a minute!
Tell me!
Who's Seong-Mun going to kill?
Stop it, Aunty! I don't know anything.
Don't lie to me.
You think I don't know that you're up to no good?
Ouch, Mom!
Su-il, tell us everything.
Even if you don't, I can just ask around.
Cheol-Seng.
It¡¯s Tetsuo.
He's going to kill Tetsuo Iwata.
At Shimonoseki Hall on Sunday.
Seong-Mun's the bullet.
We are always the bullet.
Brother called me this morning and told me.
"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"
Thank you for meeting me at such short notice.
I was surprised to hear from you.
How long has it been?
About 30 years...
Has it been so long?
I¡¯m sorry...
Why did it matter that we're from North or South of Korea?
Because of that we couldn't be together...
We both have Korean blood, but we couldn¡¯t...
I feel ashamed.
I could have taken you anywhere in the world...
I¡¯m sorry to bring this up after all these years.
I'm happy for you though.
You're naturalized now.
You've become so successful.
I'm not being sarcastic.
"The 6th Rumbling Sea Chorus Competition"
This is the 6th annual Rumbling Sea Chorus Competition.
Thank you for coming today.
We hope you'll all enjoy the event...
It¡¯s not here, it's gone! Where is it!
Grandma, where is the paper bag?
That was the Shimonoseki Mixed Choir.
The next group up is program number 8...
Meisei Girl's High School, Chorus Club.
Mother, I don't know your name
I don't even know why you took your own life
Mother, you don't have a tomb, and no one remembers you
Mother, I will live my life for myself
My sighs are always dedicated to your image, Mother
Yoshino?
Are you all right?
Can you stand up?
Stress induced diarrhea.
Ah, some people get that.
Take her to the nurse.
Ms. Iwata.
Hey, good lookin'.
Hi, going somewhere?
We used to fight with Japanese boys all the time.
Seong-Mun is hot-blooded and almost invincible.
There's only one place he'd hide.
We all used to go there when we skip class.
I remember how he'd sit there all by himself.
Where is Seong-Mun?
Talk!
Where's Seong-Mun? Mr. Tamaru wants him!
I¡¯ll talk!
Stop!
I need to borrow this!
Shuichi...
If he wants to go straight
he can always come to me.
Thank you.
How did you know...?
The fish company president told me.
That big mouth...
Did you hear me sing?
I saw you, I was singing to you.
I couldn't see anyone but you.
I kept watching you. I couldn't stop singing...
Afterwards I realized people were screaming...
Why did you attack Dad?
Why...?
Do you want me to fall to where you are?
Or do you want to climb up to where I am?
A man with no dream had to force a dream.
Even if it meant killing someone...
Dad's alive.
He was wearing protective gear.
Really?
Yes, he's okay.
I know what my father does, you know.
I¡¯m better off pretending that I don't know.
I can't do anything right. I couldn't even kill a man.
Now that man's daughter is trying to cheer me up.
Seong-Mun.
Will you...
because I love you...
I have to go.
I'm turning myself in.
Your dream...
Hold onto it.
I'll wait for you.
I will...
Mr. Tamaru...
The past is just like a frustrated father.
Or it is just like a sighing mother.
The future is like a son who's afraid of darkness.
Or it is like a shy daughter...
a shy daughter who's afraid of people.
The past and the future are like a parent and a child.
What do these passages mean?
The past referred to isn't that of a young person.
Parents have had hardships in their past.
The past comes with regret.
Young people always look at the future.
The future makes people anxious...
Let's sing Ave Maria.
Okay.
Mariko, come on!
Officer...
Do you have a dream?
A dream...?
I only have it when I¡¯m in bed.
Could you open the window?
Open the window.
Takao Sasaki
Sakura Ando
Takuya Ishida
Humitoshi Kanou
Kyoko Kubo
Hiroyuki Ehara
Chie Ayado
Masahiko Shimada
Kazu Ando
Kohei Otomo
Rino Katase
Kazuki Kitamura
Mari Natsuki
Eiji Okuda
Written & Directed by Eiji Okuda
2007 Zero Pictures / K*S*F