The Face of Another
Is it even possible to be a fan of Teshigahara? He is so avant-garde that one feels like there must be a distance between yourself and his work, which is just that weird. “The Face of Another” is another artistic masterpiece of his, and so very very stylish, it is amazing. The way he plays around with the camera is so masterfully done that I am surprised he is not more recognized, despite the weirdness of the story which must mostly be attributed to Kobo Abe who, incidentally, is popular after all.
I thought “The Face of Another” had a great story and even though the end seemed totally unmotivated, I find it very fitting to the topic. It also is good that they left open what is going to happen with the wife, even though she is perhaps the character I ultimately cared the most about. I wish they had given her more screentime to develop as a character so she will be a little more than just an object of desire for the main character who happens to end up doing something pretty cool at the end (even though that did not seem to have saved him after all).
Just like Kobo Abe’s books, the weirdness of Teshigahara’s films must be accepted within their absurd world and it is only then that the true subtle meanings and the greatness of the films will come out.