“Like Kurosawa, I make mad films, ‘kay, I don’t make films/
But if I did they’d have a Samurai” — “One Week,” Barenaked Ladies
And here’s a romance for the Samurai filmmaker in all of us. Welcome to the world of Japanese teen Barefoot (yes, “Barefoot”) who is gonna show those darn movie club kids what real filmmaking is all about, dammit. Barefoot is one those Samurai groupies you hear so much about. The kids just love Akira Kurosawa, am I right?
Seriously, Barefoot (Marika Itô) is an adorable Japanese coed who is –indeed- really into Samurai films. So much so that Barefoot wants to make her own entitled Samurai Youth. You know what I’d to see is combining Samurais with selfies, taffy-colored hair, and Air Jordans – why look the part if you aren’t? I digress. Barefoot cannot make her film because the movie club at school only has budget for one production and literally everybody else in the class voted for Karin’s film.
Razzn frazzn lousy drama jerks voted stupid romance film ahead of mine.
Good filmmakers don’t let a lack funds stop them, of course. Actually, that’s also true of bad filmmakers [See: Wood, Ed]. So Barefoot is going to film her script just as soon as she finds a lead. Enter Rintaro (Daichi Kaneko). Barefoot meets him at a movie theater and chases him down several blocks. Rintaro has the perfect brooding look for Barefoot’s screenplay. He’s a Samurai, but he’s also world-weary, and he’s 17 and hot and what more could you want?
Now why does Rintaro talk in private to a hologram? And how many others does Barefoot
need to recruit to make her film happen? And why does Barefoot keep running into Karin’s pink-shirted film crew? Nothing ruins a Samurai sword battle on the shore quite like “I [heart] U” written in the sand.
I’ve overrated It’s a Summer Film! slightly. It’s enjoyable, watchable, and occasionally adorable, but calling it “good” might be a stretch. I truly loved the heroine. I cannot wait to see more films starring Marika Itô. Sources say she’s wed to TV Series productions, so unless Japan can match Korea’s “Squid Game” with Marika attached, I might be waiting a while. Strangely enough, I liked the technical explorations of It’s a Summer Film! And by that I mean amateur filmmaker’s will learn more about making a film from Summer than just about another other film I can name. The kids know their stuff which allows us to understand clearly what stops them from making the film they want to make. This isn’t a huge recommend by any stretch, but I found It’s a Summer Film! both entertaining and useful enough to pass along.
Meh, you probably won’t see it anyway… which probably makes it more of a Ninja movie.
This young student, lord knows why
Wanted to film a Samurai
While not quite a phone-in
Her cinematic Ronin
Up and refused to comply
Not Rated, 97 Minutes
Director: Sôshi Masumoto
Writer: Sôshi Masumoto, Naoyuki Miura
Genre: How to make a film
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Marika Itô fans
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Samurai, romance disparagers
