All genres of suspense, terror, and horror will be reviewed by Richard Gary. His address to send preview copies supplied upon request to rbf55@msn.com.
Baby Assassins
(aka Beibî
warukyûre)
Directed by Yugo Sakamoto Rights Cube; Far East Films;
Well Go USA Entertainment; Hi-Yah!
95 minutes, 2021 / 2022 www.wellgousa.com/films/baby-assassins
@WellGoUSA
When I first read the
title, I was confused: was this about infants in diapers who kill people, or
adults who kill toddlers? Of course, in both cases, I was wrong (pretty sure I
would be). I should have known better as this film is from Japan.
The “babies” in
question are two teenage high school girls and possibly future cosplay objects,
Chisato (Akari Takahasi). and blonde Mahiro (Saori Izawa). They are the
innocents who are both about to graduate from assassin school, and are highly
trained to kill. Needless to say, there are some strong comic elements to the
story as they butt heads.
The film is on a
couple of different tiers: first, there is the stereotypical two opposites
needing to work together to survive with fun and merriment, and then there are
the (literally) deadly serious assassinations, where the ladies come into their
own. Like many teenagers, even with their killing expertise, it’s the simple
and every day tasks that are filled with angst (such as adding whip cream to a
meal).
Like “The Odd Couple” (whatever
incarnation), their personalities are different, and yet they overlap in Zinn
Diagram means. For example, Mahiro is Gen Whatever, with a slacker attitude of
not-caring or wanting to be bothered, whose wardrobe choice is PJ bottoms and a
tee (at one point it’s a Lou Reed Transformers one); and yet, she has an
inclination towards philosophy. Chisato, on the other hand, is more focused,
but just as lost in menial tasks. Thing with Assassin School is that, as
implied, they teach killing but not social skills needed for employment or
fitting into society. This is a really interesting added on touch.
Reminiscent of the
series “Dead Like Me” (2003-04), between assignments the women are expected to
hold down jobs that will not bring much attention to them. For example, Chisato,
at some point, works in a small waffle eatery as wait- and kitchen staff, but
is totally out of her element.
Now, 20 minutes into
the film, and we are somewhat familiar with their sitch, enter the credits and
a flashback to them first being thrust together. The commentary on government bureaucracy,
such as taxes, housing and basically not taking care of their own (sound familiar?)
permeates the underscore of the film. This is used both as comedy fodder and
with a figuratively pointed stick.
Another jab of the
elbow in the side is the Japanese tendency for older men to be attractive to
younger women, as I mentioned previously. Be it an assassination target or a
store clerk, the two are hit on mostly by adult men. Creepy; always was, always
will be.
Things get a bit darker
in the third act, as our heroines are at odds over attitudes, and to add to the
mix is confrontations with a Yakuza (must be powerful; he has all of his fingers),
his blowhard son Kazuki (think Sonny Corleone), and revenge seeking, psychotic,
over-the-top enthusiastic daughter, Himari, who seems to be about the same age as
our two killin’ protagonists.
In the first two acts,
there are some decent kills scattered throughout, and somewhere along the way I
made a note for myself, “Increased violence in the third act?” Of course there
is, including one superb fight with Izawa, who has some Taekwondo training, and
a Yakuza. Now, the fight scenes are not overly choreographed to ridiculous level,
with people flying through the air, or stylized like the infamous corridor
scene in the original Oldboy (2003). This is sloppy in a good way, more like
fighting than something sterile in a mainstream release.
I also really liked
this dive into modern Japanese culture. In fact, there are two things discussed
that I had to look up: the first was a food called Oden, which is a fish
cake stew (ironically, I was eating fishcakes while I was watching this… ”it’s
a small world, but I wouldn’t want to paint it” – Steven Wright. But I digress…).
The conversation about it takes on almost a Tarantino-eque quality, without the
camera needing to swirl around the couch. The other is the use of the
expression Moe Moe Kyun, which apparently means something like happiness
to a level of blushing.
The director does
really well in translating the personality of our two assassins to be likeable
characters, even when they misbehave. He also has a way of showing the mixture
of action and the lull between without getting boring. It is a mash-up of the
mundane and murderous mayhem. Sometimes the action comes as a surprise, which
was quite pleasant, and other times, it builds up. Also, pleasant.
By the end, it kind of
leaves it off as a possible franchise, as the Japanese are wont to do with
police procedurals and gangster mayhem. If this comes to be true, I will enjoy
seeing what happens next with Mahiro and Chisato.
The film is available on the martial arts streaming service Hi-Yah!, and the digital and Blu-ray versions will
be accessible on August 16, 2022.
In the decade of her
career so far, Anna Rizzo has managed to show a wide range of characters, from
comedy (Fairfield Follies, 2018), to deep drama (Moments from a
Sidewalk, 2016), to classics (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2017), to
television and web-series work (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” 2019;
“The Realm,” 2015, respectively), and definitely a few in the horror genre,
including her most recent release, Blood Pi (2020). Being quite
prolific, she also have some other films due out this year in post-production.
Part of the Rhode
Island film collective, a much more active group than you might imagine, she
has also spread her wings to other parts of the country for roles, and is a
musician, too boot (not to be confused with another musician with the same
name, though).
Personally, I’ve been
a fan since Seven Dorms of Death (2015). I sent her a list of questions,
and she was gracious enough to answer back. You can find other, role-specific
interviews with her on YouTube. My questions are more random.
Indie Horror Films: I’m happy to be able to give you
the second degree (a shade lighter than a third degree). Anna
Rizzo: Happy to be second degreed!
IHF: I guess the
place to start is with a simple query: what brought you to acting? Anna:
I did plays ever since I was a little kid, but usually because the plays I had
access to would involve a decent amount of singing, which was the real draw to
me at the time. I was a very shy and introverted kid who was always reading in
the corner rather than talking to people, but I liked to sing.The
high school I went to had a respected and competitive theatre program. The
first semester of my freshman year my parents convinced me to audition for the
school's production of The Importance of Being Earnest (even though
there was no singing), saying “you have to pay your dues and audition multiple
times before they're going to cast you in a musical. You won't get in this
time, but they will start to get to know you that way.” So I went in, figuring nothing
would happen, and ended up cast as Gwendolyn. And I absolutely loved it. I fell
completely in love with acting and never looked back.
IHF: Do you have a
favorite role, so far? Anna:
It's so hard to pick because, honestly, I fall in love with every character I
get to play while I'm preparing the role. Getting to know who they are, what
makes them tick, then finding that within myself – how could you not love each
one after all that?The closest I could come to picking would probably be Tara in On
the Seventh Date (2016), because she came to me at a time when I was living
through something remarkably similar – knowing exactly what my heart wanted but
being too scared to own it. But she had the ability to take bold action and
speak what she wanted. She might be the closest to a favorite because working
on that story and getting to deeply know her taught me a lot. It helped me find
those parts of her that I admired in me.
IHF: Being in the
Rhode Island area, you’ve done a lot of films with director Richard Griffin. Any
stories of the films or working with him? Anna:
So many! The reason I've worked with Richard Griffin so many times is because
he is such an incredible creative, whose enthusiasm and love of filmmaking
spreads to everyone who steps foot on his sets. Every single film he does, he
invites you into this incredible world he is creating, and as an actor that is
such a gift. I've seen him create everything from post-apocalyptic bomb
shelters, to haunted abandoned catholic schools, to magical woods in colonial America
to raucous romantic comedies, and everything in between.I
think one story which beautifully encapsulates Richard Griffin magic in its
element, was the first day of shooting Seven Dorms of Death. We
were filming in a closed-down, beautiful old theater in the middle of January,
shooting 8-10 pages with most of the cast that day. And there was no heat in
the building. In January. But he and the crew bundled themselves up and got to
work. They lit the whole thing, all while letting us actors stay bundled up and
warm as long as possible, and they did amazing work.But
it was still freezing. And all of us actors were shivering through our lines
with our noses looking more and more like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer each
take. And yet, even through those conditions, it was still so much fun.
Everyone's spirits were high because Richard always finds amazing people to be
a part of his team. But at the end of the day, Richard made the tough decision
to scrap location, and therefore the day, because it was too much to battle
against the cold for the rest of the shoot. For those not familiar with
filmmaking, scrapping a day of shooting and changing locations is a big deal
and I don't know too many other filmmakers that could have kept a production on
schedule after that.But not only did he keep it on schedule, he found us a new theater
to shoot in (pretty much overnight) that worked even better, and he shot a
visually beautiful, hilarious movie that was an absolute joy to work on.
Because that is what he does – he comes in with such a clear vision of the film
he wants to make, that no upset knocks him out of the game. Things that would
sink another production, he rises above and uses his creativity and vast
experience to find an even better solution and makes the whole film better for
it. You cannot stop him when he wants to make a film!
IHF: Your range is
quite large, from comedy to deep drama and horror. Do you have a preference? Anna:
My preference is all of the above! I love working on things that make me laugh
and making other people laugh. And then I also love working on things that make
me feel deeply and move other people to feel something. I think we try to crack
each other up in the most tense and difficult circumstances in order to survive
them, and the funniest moments are often infused with life-or-death stakes at
the time they happen.
IHF: In Blood Pi,
you play a psycho so well. Did you have a model to base it on? Anna:
Thank you! And yes, actually. I had an up-close experience with a sociopath,
and the characteristic that really haunted me afterwards was that reptilian
stare. I did a lot of reading around the psychology of antisocial personality
disorder to try to make sense of what I had witnessed. And then years later
when Jordan (Pacheco, the director) first approached me with the Blood Pi
script, I instantly knew exactly who Amber was. And I was so excited to see a
female role like this. I didn't want Amber to be two-dimensional, so entering
into her world was a lot of figuring out what drives her and what her own weird
sense of justice/punishment was, because I think she feels deeply justified in
her actions.
IHF: Congrats on your role on “Law
and Order: Special Victims Unit.” What was that experience like, and how did it
compare to working on indie features? Anna:
Thank you! That was an amazing experience. The “Law and Order” set is massive
in terms of how many people work in each department, and they are truly a well-oiled
machine. They built that entire dance studio I shot my scene in that morning
and then as soon as we were done shooting, in a matter of minutes, had
dismantled the whole thing to begin building another set in that same space.
That level of organized teamwork was incredible. The first day I was on set was
actually their first day of their 21st season and everyone was returning
from the break between seasons. It was so cool to see how bonded everyone was,
sharing stories of what they had each done with their time off, asking about
each other's families, etc. What I love about indie filmmaking is the
camaraderie and bond you form when working together and it was so cool to see
that even on this massive set with so many people; they still had that bond.
IHF: You seemed to
flourish in the role of Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How was the experience
of playing such an infamous Shakespearean character?
Anna:
It was so much fun! I would have been massively intimidated, but earlier that
year, I played Desdemona in a production of Othello that fellow Richard
Griffin actor, Aaron Andrade, directed and starred in. So having just performed
another Shakespeare play right before Midsummer helped boost my
confidence that I could even do it! Also, Richard did several rehearsals before
we got on set, which was such a gift because we had time to play and experiment
together. By the time we arrived on set, the words and the cadencing were
deeply in my bones, so I could forget about them and just live in the moment as
Titania. But the real cherry on top was that Richard and the crew built the
whole fairy woods on the stage of the Barker Playhouse [in Providence, RI;
it is America’s oldest continually run little theater – Ed.] and each actor
had the most incredible hair, make-up, and wardrobe to totally transform us.
And that process of physically transforming and then stepping into this magical
world they had created was exhilarating.
IHF: I know you were a composer for the film Moments
From a Sidewalk. Are you planning to further your fingers into the area of
film music, or the use of your singing ability in films?
Anna:
I would absolutely love to play more characters who sing and play music! It was
so much fun to incorporate that side of my creativity into Sarah's character in
Moments From a Sidewalk. I loved taking songs that I had written and
were personal and meaningful to me, and then adapt them for Sarah.
IHF: While I enjoy
watching you work on the screen, have you thought about working behind the
camera, perhaps in directing, writing, or producing? Anna:
I am pretty sure I will experiment at some point, but honestly, the level of
skill and talent that goes into directing, writing, and producing is
intimidating and I deeply respect the people who do those jobs. They truly each
do hold a production up.
IHF: Thank you so
much for your time. It was a pleasure getting to ask you these questions, and I
look forward to seeing your upcoming roles. Anna:
Thank you so much! It was a pleasure!
How deep
is your emotional pain? Does it turn into something physical? While this theme
was used in David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979),
here it takes a deeper, yet also bloody turn.
Adam Huss
In the
prologue, Misha
Barton has “Drew Barrymore” cameo, shared with the great Maria Olsen who steals
the scene, of course. After that we get introduced to the main characters, and
their issues. After a tragic loss, surgeon John (Adam Huss) has to not only
readjust to life with his wife, Chloe (Madeline Zima), but he now finds he is
in constant physical pain. Apparently, the only temporary cure for this agony
is to drink fresh blood. No, he’s not a vampire in the classic sense, and why
blood affects him this way is never really addressed, but it is taken on face
value. I’m okay with that, as it’s a genre film.
The other two main characters are John’s
boss at the hospital, Gail (Debra Wilson, of “MADtv”), and Herb (Grant Bowler),
who is in a similar situation as John but has nefarious ends in mind (not hard
to figure that out within one minute of his introduction).
Madeline Zima
There are two positions that the film posits:
first, will John reset his moral compass to obtain the fresh blood needed to
ease his pain. As his body shakes in agony, he becomes distant from Chloe, who
is also dealing with the same tragedy as John that started the whole blood
thing, but she feels like she’s doing it on her own. This second, human
emotional touch is different than most genre films, in that it lets the drama
be more inclusive to those around the main character, something you don’t see
very often.
There is some blood and squeamish knife
cuttings here and there, but generally, this is more a dramatic story of a man
and his family/friends struggling with some of the same issues in both direct
and indirect ways. Because of this the pacing is a bit slow, but the tension definitely
builds as the film rolls on.
One of the smart side-topics is the whole “Dexter”
vigilante motif, when discussing the sources of the elixir of life. I can see a
bunch of friends getting together after a viewing and having a “what would you
do?” conversation about actions taken by the characters, perhaps over a game of
Scruples.
Debra Wilson
The acting is top notch, with all the leads
turning in solid performances, though Bowler’s character is too easy to read
too early in the story, even if the means and motivations are not yet present.
I would be tempted call this more of a
thriller than horror, even with the blood drinking, as it’s easy to substitute
the cravings for blood to other addictions, especially in the medical field, and
there is some play with that in the story. Again, this is a smart move.
Despite the high angst level throughout,
there is a feeling of trying to balance a life or lives with a new normal. Taiwanese director Roxy Shih
shows compassion for her characters, though I found the ending a bit unrealistic
(no spoiler alerts). For only a second feature, she has done an admirable job.
