Campaign

The inner workings of Japan's political system are on display in Kazuhiro Soda's entertaining documentary Campaign, which focuses on candidate Kazuhiko Yamauchi, a 40-year-old political novice who often seems like a supporting player in his campaign for a seat on the Kawasaki city council. While a local election might not seem like a major concern, the Liberal Democratic Party controlling the council decided to go all out to retain its command—even bringing in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for an appearance in support of Yamauchi. Somewhat cynically, the leaders who handpick Yamauchi aren't interested in his input on how to run the campaign, and he is often excluded from meetings designed to formulate strategies to ensure his election. Campaign also details the awkward and ill-defined role that Yamauchi's wife plays in the campaign (she is repeatedly introduced by the leaders as the candidate's “housewife”). For all of the film's wider and more interesting cultural and political implications, it suffers from the fact that Yamauchi is not interesting enough to be the center of a documentary. While Yama-san (as he becomes known) presents himself to voters as a polite candidate who blandly promises vague reforms, Western audiences might see him as a vapid puppet in desperate need of a charisma transplant, a fact that makes the two-hour length here seem even longer (a shorter version, not included here, was shown on the PBS series POV). DVD extras include deleted scenes, and an interview with the filmmaker and candidate at the Berlin Film Festival. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)