Break Through! (2004) / パッチギ / Pacchigi!

Break Through! (박치기,パッチギ! Pacchigi!) is a 2005 Japanese film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu and set in 1960s Kyoto. It centres around the tensions between the minority Zainichi Koreans^[1] community and the wider Japanese community.

The film came to my attention for two main reasons based on two other films I had seen (although by the time I watched it, I had forgotten those reasons^[2]  - it was just on my "to watch" list) - both to do with the cast.

It starts simply, and lightly, enough showing a crowd of schoolgirls screaming and swooning at the sight of some sixties moptoppers - not The Beatles. A group of boys see this and decide to copy the haircuts for themselves to become equally popular with the ladies... The group includes the main protagonist Kosuke Matsuyama (Shun Shioya).

That opening is just a little different from the rest of the film, but works as a nice introduction to the characters and era, which then moves onto a slightly more serious portrayal of Korean/Japanese tensions. After some stupid rudeness towards some Korean girls by some Japanese schoolboys on a trip, there is a violent retaliation by the Korean schoolboys resulting in an upturned bus. That leads to the Japanese school trying to "outreach" and offering to play a football friendly against the Korean school. The invitation is to be made by Kousuke and a friend. Once there, he becomes smitten with a girl,- Kyung-ja Lee (played by Erika Sawajiri), there and tries to work out a way of asking her out. Her older brother, Lee Ang Son (Sousuke Takaoka), also happens to be the leader of the Korean gang which makes it a little harder. The method is partially successful and involves learning how to play a song that she was playing on the flute. As they cross the divide, the question is as to whether it will work out. 

I personally thought it was a fairly simple film with no particularly easy answers to the questions of discrimination but it was interesting to see a Japanese film that seemed a bit more sympathetic to the Korean side of this debate - though for outsiders looking in, it seems only reasonable. To some degree, it must be seen slightly within the prism of Forbidden Romance genre along with that of discrimination, but maybe all forbidden romances are thus. Watching the story develop is interesting enough and it slightly branches out to encompass the older brother's (Lee Ang Son) troubles with his girlfriend becoming pregnant. On that basis it is a little less focused than it could be but still enjoyable. Once the main character finds himself within the Korean world, the film does become a bit more overtly political with the explanations of tensions spelled out by the Koreans to Kousuke and the audience. It may not be subtle, but it does work and this could be revelatory within the Japanese cinema scene. Some of the themes could be considered similar to GO^[3]  but the treatment and film making styles are very different. The two love stories, although effectively forbidden, are done so from different angles. This film came out in 2004 which was in the middle of a Fuyu no Sonata fuelled Korean boom in Japan where many aspects of Korean culture became suddenly popular and that timing may have helped it both commercially and artistically as there was a greater desire to understand the Koreans living in Japan at the time.

Critical reception for Pacchigi! was very good and it has won some acting awards ("Rookie of the Year" ("Erika Sawajiri"/"Shun Shioya") - 2006 (29th) Japan Academy Prize- March 3, 2006) for the two lovebirds. I was impressed again with Erika Sawajiri, and her acceptance of the phone call from Kousuke was strangely touching – it was a subtle type of acting that I rarely see. It did well enough to warrant a sequel of sorts in the form of Pacchigi! Love & Peace which has similar themes.

I did enjoy the film but I would not say that it is particularly worth seeking out unless you are really interested in the themes or some of the cast. It is good though so if it is something that you can watch easily, I would give it a go. It seems ideal for a late Film 4 slot.

You can see the trailer here:

^{1. This term officially refers to those not Japanese but has often pejorative use.↩}

^{2. After watching Helter Skelter, I checked to see what other films Erika Sawajiri had been in but, seeing the time difference, I was a little put off. Reading of Sousuke Takaoka going off the rails a bit also pointed me to this film.↩}

^{3. I came across this film again when I was reading something about Japanese films and nationalism which mentioned the two [link]. It was not particularly well-written but it was interesting content. I think there is a lesson in there.↩}