Kokuho, Oscar-Nominated for Hair and Makeup

Being a Kabuki actor and a Yakuza outwardly look like radically different ways of life, but both demand complete, unwavering commitment. One might presume Kabuki performance to be the safer calling, but there are times when it taxes two gifted rival actors to their emotional breaking points. Despite the acclaim, their art never generates wealth, but it could lead to the titular designation of “national treasure” in Lee Sang-il’s Oscar-nominated Kokuho, which opens today in theaters, from GKIDS.

Heredity is important in the Kabuki circle, so Kikuo Tachibana starts inauspiciously, as the son of a soon-to-be late Yakuza boss. Nevertheless, revered Kabuki actor Hanae Hanjiro II sees promise in the young orphan, so he takes him in as an apprentice. His talent immediately establishes Tachibana as a rival for Hanjiro’s son and presumed heir, Shunsuke Ogaki. Yet, they also develop a fast friendship. At the insistence of the Kabuki theater corporation, Hanjiro agrees to showcase Tachibana and Ogaki as the “Tohan Duo,” performing as “onnagata,” male Kabuki actors portraying female characters, a tradition originally mandated during the Shogunate era (just like in Shakespeare in Love), despite their relative inexperience.

The Tohan Duo receives rapturous ovations, but when Hanjiro choses a successor to take over his studio, he opts for Tachibana (who assumes the name Hanai Hanjiro III), over his son. At this point, Kokuho takes on Succession dimensions. In fact, without the protection Hanjiro II’s prestige based in “blood,” it is unclear whether Hanjiro III might be ultimately undone by his scandalous past.

Speaking of scandals, it is an outrage the Academy-short-listed Kokuho was not nominated for Best International Feature. It was Just an Accident remains the best of the field, but Kokuho would have been a strong #2. Alas, it must make do with the Hair and Makeup nom, which still counts a first for GKIDS.

Regardless, Kokuho is a deeply personal story that also feels epic at the same time. Decades pass, as fortunes rise and fall. (Frankly, some viewers might catch themselves doing the math to judge whether the announced flashforwards compute with the appearances of the characters, but that is minor distraction.) This is a film of roiling passions, but it also gives the audience a thorough grounding in Kabuki theater. (Yet, Kon Ichikawa’s Revenge of a Kabuki Actor still probably ranks as the greatest Kabuki film of all time, because it has similarly operatic grandeur, but adds real deal Chanbara swordplay.)

Indeed, Kokuho showcases the versatility of Ryo Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama, the Cain and Abel co-leads, who excel in both the Kabuki performances (which might be more fairly described as “stylized” rather than “exaggerated”) and the off-stage drama, which is rendered with disciplined restraint, until the slow-building angst and fury periodically erupt. Throughout, they portray the flaws of Tachibana and Ogaki in aptly tragic and keenly human ways.

Ken Watanabe (who also starred in Lee’s worthy remake of Unforgiven) anchors the film with gravitas, but also depicts Hanjiro II’s physical decline with sensitivity and dignity. In fact, the film is also loaded with numerous memorable supporting performances, such as Min Tanaka as Mangiku Onogawa, the reigning Kokuho, and the young thesp who is eerily haunting in a pivotal scene, playing Tachibana’s young illegitimate daughter.

Even in translation, Satoko Okudera’s adaptation of Shuichi Yushida’s novel is strikingly well-written. Echoes from the past have a way of suddenly reverberating that is unusually powerful. Honestly, this film should be contending for more awards. Very highly recommended, Kokuho opens today (2/6) in New York, at the Angelika Film Center.