Saturday, November 9, 2024

Movie Review: ‘Plastic’ Captures Transient Nostalgia


Director: Daisuke Miyazaki
Writer: Daisuke Miyazaki
Stars: Sumire Ashina, Takuma Fujie, Kyôko Koizumi

Synopsis: Teenagers Jun and Ibuki set out to find the psychedelic rock band Exne Kedy.


Daisuke Miyazaki’s Plastic (2023) is one in a long line of films that have made valiant attempts to capture the transient existences led by audiophiles; passionate music enthusiasts who are happy to spend their days engaging in debates over all but the most obscure artists. There is, of course, a certain romantic quality that this lifestyle possesses. The idea of critically regarding art, while also affording it tremendous respect, is relatable to any human being who has developed a serious hobby. Music appreciators are somewhat distinct from rugby enthusiasts, however, in that they are able to largely avoid the complications that come with accepting the same degree of financial or professional responsibility that an artist takes on when pursuing their passions. The touch of sentimentality with which the audiophile lifestyle is regarded is inevitably shot through with a hint of bittersweet melancholy, as the audience comes to accept that it’s just not possible to pursue this lifestyle for a lengthy period of time. Life gets in the way and you find yourself drifting away from the interests that captured your attention when you are young and carefree. 

Plastic (2024) Film Review: A Glam Rock Coming of Age - Loud And Clear  Reviews

This narrative arc, in which viewers are encouraged to watch on, comes with a touch of fear and anxiety, as someone grows old and loses the carefree spirit that allowed them to accept certain disappointments in life. This micro-genre speaks to the somewhat unique relationship that musicians, specifically, can have with the process of growing older. Plastic places a focus on the rocky relationship between Jun and Ibuki, who fall in love after connecting over their shared fascination with the 1970s glam rock band Exne Kennedy and the Poltergeists. Their passion for music sustains them even while they struggle through young adulthood but they break up after realizing that they have different ambitions in life. It is only the surprise announcement of an unexpected Exne Kennedy and the Poltergeists reunion that brings them back into each other’s orbit. 

It is perhaps significant that the band Exne Kennedy and the Poltergeists does not actually exist. Director Daisuke Miyazaki, himself a fan of Kensuke Ide, drew upon his album Contact From Exne Kennedy and the Poltergeists for inspiration. Ide, a major figure in Japan’s contemporary rock music scene, enjoys playing around with gender boundaries and concepts of Japanese national identity. The freewheeling energy of his music permeates the entire film and Miyazaki creates a blend between 1970s glam rock aesthetics and the youth culture that thrives in Japan today. In discussing his approach to integrating music into the film, Miyazaki notes that music no longer plays a crucial role in shaping Japan’s youth culture. Members of Generation Z have moved on to playing video games and producing avant-garde comedy skits that require their audience to have consumed thousands of hours of internet lore. Music is seen as old hat and representative of a potentially damaging nostalgia for the past, which would prevent new generations from moving forward and developing a culture of their own. 

These developments ensure that Plastic can create a dialogue between the generations and ask questions about whether music is becoming a museum piece of sorts in a world in which audiophiles are becoming more and more scarce. What does it mean to engage with an art-form that is in a constant state of flux? For Jun and Ibuki, the nostalgia is kind of the point. Loving Exne Kennedy and the Poltergeists provides them with a window into a world that no longer exists. There is something romantic about the fact that this cultural milieu can not possibly be resurrected. It is permanently dead and can only be regarded from a comfortable distance. Even the reunion of the band plays as a kind of postmodern pastiche. The members of the band are back together and playing all their old songs but the cultural context around them has changed so much that they can no longer claim to be the same band in any real sense. 

It’s pleasing to discover that there are films out there that are seriously asking these deeply discomfiting questions. In a time when art lovers like myself fear that the things we love are going to be snatched away from us by a society that is changing for the worse every single day, Miyazaki’s film is a breath of fresh air. He acknowledges some of the sadness that we all feel while still avoiding throwing out the cheap platitudes that we often employ when addressing these problems. 

Grade: B+

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