Winner of the Jury Prize in Karlovy Vary's Proxima competition, director Shuntaro Uchida's coming-of-age tale dulls the edges of its intriguing central protagonist.
By Elena Lazic
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Courtesy of Karlovy Vary Film Festival Observing a seemingly ordinary world through the lens of teenhood can be a goldmine for filmmakers. From the perspective of young people who often feel awkward and out of place, common dynamics can look strange, while unexpected connections seem like the most natural thing in the world. Shuntaro Uchida’s “Incinerator”, which won the Jury Prize in the Proxima competition at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival, is of most interest for its peculiar lead protagonist, ten-year-old Kozue (played by a young actress credited simply as Karin). In her peaceful neighborhood outside Tokyo, this loner spends more time observing her surroundings than acting upon them, save for her habit of regularly stealing random objects to throw into the school incinerator. But while Kozue is a genuine, unapologetic weirdo, the film that is constructed around her soon betrays a less imaginative, more normative impulse — so much so that this coming-of-age story ultimately leaves a bitter taste.
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