philemmons
02-17-07, 10:34 AM
TOKYO -
Masayuki Suo had an international hit a decade ago with the original "Shall We Dance?" Now the director is offering much more serious fare: a film that challenges Japan's secretive, lethargic justice system.
"I Just Didn't Do It" is about the legal battle of a man mistakenly accused of groping a woman on a jam-packed commuter train in Tokyo, taking aim at a court system with a suspiciously high 99 percent conviction rate.
"I had to make this film because of the outrage ... that I felt as a Japanese over the injustice in this country," Suo said, accusing courts of favoring the prosecution over the rights of the accused. "I simply couldn't look the other way."
In a country where top films — romances, action movies and animation — are not often seen as a venue for social commentary, Suo's latest work stands out. The movie has been a top box-office draw in Japan since its Jan. 20 release.
"The film deals with a rare theme, but everyone can relate to the topic, because groping is a widespread problem, and this could happen to anyone," said Takeshi Otaki, an official at the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.
The film stars Ryo Kase, who played a former military policeman in
Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima." Koji Yakusho — the main character in 1996's "Shall We Dance?" — plays his top lawyer.
Suo, whose "Shall We Dance?" was remade in Hollywood starring
Richard Gere and
Jennifer Lopez in 2004, said "I Just Didn't Do It" was prompted by the unusual case of an office worker acquitted of groping after a five-year legal battle.
Pleading innocent is rare in Japan, where defendants — facing near certain conviction — are pressed to admit guilt as a way of winning leniency. Police are known for heavy-handed measures to get suspects to confess, rather than conducting the investigations needed to build a solid case.
Suo said groping — a serious problem on Japan's crowded trains — is the kind of accusation open to abuse because prosecutors can press charges without establishing a motive, except that a suspect is a male.
Police take advantage of suspects' fear of public shame and urge them to sign confessions, he said. If convicted, gropers can face up to 10 years in prison. About 1,900 men were arrested for the crime in Tokyo in 2005, police say.
The film comes at a time when made-in-Japan movies are increasingly appealing to filmgoers here.
Last year, Japanese films earned more than their competitors from Hollywood, Hong Kong and other countries for the first time in 21 years, with box-office revenues of $892.7 million. The share of the Japanese market rose to 53.2 percent in 2006, according to association figures.
Suo's film also comes at a time when Japan is trying to reform its court system, planning to introduce jury trials for criminal cases in 2009. Under the present system, a panel of judges render verdicts and sentences.
Opponents say bringing amateurs to the justice system could produce more false convictions, but Suo says he sees it "a tremendous opportunity for a change."
source (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070216/ap_en_ot/film_japan_challenging_courts)
Masayuki Suo had an international hit a decade ago with the original "Shall We Dance?" Now the director is offering much more serious fare: a film that challenges Japan's secretive, lethargic justice system.
"I Just Didn't Do It" is about the legal battle of a man mistakenly accused of groping a woman on a jam-packed commuter train in Tokyo, taking aim at a court system with a suspiciously high 99 percent conviction rate.
"I had to make this film because of the outrage ... that I felt as a Japanese over the injustice in this country," Suo said, accusing courts of favoring the prosecution over the rights of the accused. "I simply couldn't look the other way."
In a country where top films — romances, action movies and animation — are not often seen as a venue for social commentary, Suo's latest work stands out. The movie has been a top box-office draw in Japan since its Jan. 20 release.
"The film deals with a rare theme, but everyone can relate to the topic, because groping is a widespread problem, and this could happen to anyone," said Takeshi Otaki, an official at the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan.
The film stars Ryo Kase, who played a former military policeman in
Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima." Koji Yakusho — the main character in 1996's "Shall We Dance?" — plays his top lawyer.
Suo, whose "Shall We Dance?" was remade in Hollywood starring
Richard Gere and
Jennifer Lopez in 2004, said "I Just Didn't Do It" was prompted by the unusual case of an office worker acquitted of groping after a five-year legal battle.
Pleading innocent is rare in Japan, where defendants — facing near certain conviction — are pressed to admit guilt as a way of winning leniency. Police are known for heavy-handed measures to get suspects to confess, rather than conducting the investigations needed to build a solid case.
Suo said groping — a serious problem on Japan's crowded trains — is the kind of accusation open to abuse because prosecutors can press charges without establishing a motive, except that a suspect is a male.
Police take advantage of suspects' fear of public shame and urge them to sign confessions, he said. If convicted, gropers can face up to 10 years in prison. About 1,900 men were arrested for the crime in Tokyo in 2005, police say.
The film comes at a time when made-in-Japan movies are increasingly appealing to filmgoers here.
Last year, Japanese films earned more than their competitors from Hollywood, Hong Kong and other countries for the first time in 21 years, with box-office revenues of $892.7 million. The share of the Japanese market rose to 53.2 percent in 2006, according to association figures.
Suo's film also comes at a time when Japan is trying to reform its court system, planning to introduce jury trials for criminal cases in 2009. Under the present system, a panel of judges render verdicts and sentences.
Opponents say bringing amateurs to the justice system could produce more false convictions, but Suo says he sees it "a tremendous opportunity for a change."
source (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070216/ap_en_ot/film_japan_challenging_courts)