Based on the real experience of Kazuichi Hanawa, a well-known manga (Japanese comics) artist, director Yoichi Sai's 2002 Doing Time (Keimusho No Naka) is a straightforward if subtly satirical look at what the DVD blurb refers to as Japan's “absurdly regimented” prison system. That's putting it mildly: when Hanawa (Tsutomu Yamazaki) is sentenced to three years in a Hokkaido prison for illegal weapons possession, he finds himself in a place that, while lacking the violence and brutality of American jails, has more rules and regulations than a Paul McCartney prenuptial agreement. Sheets and blankets must be perfectly stacked and folded, and cells (Hanawa shares one with four other guys) must be kept sparkling clean. Here, brushing your teeth with the water running is a punishable offense (as is filling in another inmate's crossword puzzle). Hanawa has to ask permission to use the toilet in his own cell, and then thank the guard (those we call “correction officers” are here addressed as sensei, which means “teacher”) for granting it. Living within these parameters results in the men taking unusual pleasure in their meals and daily jobs (director Sai turns Hanawa's endless folding and gluing of paper bags into a kind of visual poetry). The film has no story, per se, but it is an oddly comic sketch of a once-rebellious man surrendering his individuality to the numbing but safe predictability of prison life. Recommended. (S. Graham)
Doing Time
Parlour, 93 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 21, Issue 6
Doing Time
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: