Senkyo
(Documentary)
A Laboratory X production. (International sales: Laboratory X, New York.) Produced, directed, edited by Kazuhiro Soda.
With: Kazuhiko Yamauchi, Sayuri Yamauchi, Fuminao Asano, Yasuhiro Ishida, Nobuteru Ishihara, Kenji Ogiwara, Yoriko Kawaguchi, Junichiro Koizumi, Kikuo Takao, Kazunori Tanaka, Haruko Nagai, Seiko Hashimoto.
Kazuhiko Yamauchi's greatest asset is an ability to keep smiling in the face of public indifference and criticism from his support staff and (in a very polite way) party higher-ups. Sans any kind of political experience, he repeats the same meaningless phrases, puts up with wife Sayuri's private moans about being treated as an ornament and watches his own savings diminish as the campaign wears on. When LDP head Junichiro Koizumi visits to boost the campaign, Yamauchi hardly gets to say hello. HD tech credits are fine; a 60-minute version will be aired by Euro pubcasters in October and a 90-minute one by PBS next year.
Camera (color, HD), Soda. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Forum), Feb. 12, 2007. Japanese dialogue. Running time: 119 MIN.
