Yamabuki is a golden mountain flower in Japan that flowers around the same time as the better known internationally Sakura. It grows wild on the slopes, often with little sunlight, a hidden gem. At the same time, its name itself used to be slang for the Japanese currency, for a bribe. Themes of the weight of money/its burden permeate the film Yamabuki where characters’ lives intersect at crossroads as they try to seize family or hold onto what is left their family after unexpected life changes.
Filmmaker Juichiro Yamasaki approached the film in a choral/ensemble sense where the stories interlock (think: Do The Right Thing or Traffic). As soon as I realized this was his intention, I tried to predict how the characters would interact based on clues presented in the dialogue. I was eventually proven correct about how the two families would end up coming face-to-face but, I didn’t anticipate the first point of interaction would come when the father of the titular Yamabuki (played by Kilala Inori), obsession with her namesake flower, unintentionally caused a rockslide. A rockslide that had consequences for the film’s protagonist Chang-Su (played by Kang Yoon-so). You might be wondering how a film can be both an ensemble and have a protagonist? It’s because the other characters’ wants are less developed than Chang-Su’s, though Yamabuki’s do become clearer once her absent mother is introduced near the conclusion of the film. The film might not be effective as a choral piece, but there are some interesting concepts explored in Chang-Su’s story.
Chang-Su comes from a family that once had wealth in South Korea, this is established through the idea that he once was an Olympic-level accomplished equestrian. Now, he’s working in Maniwa, a small Japanese city in the Okayama prefecture, living with his partner Minami (played by Yohta Kawase) and her daughter Uzuki (played by Misa Wada) and working at a quarry. Early it’s established he is sending monthly paints back to South Korea to pay off a large debt. When he’s offered a full-time job at the quarry, it’s not the kind of life he saw himself living. However, it could mean he’ll become a permanent fixture in Minami and Uzuki’s life and make enough money to start riding again, even if he’ll never own a horse again. However, a tragic incident puts that dream to rest and lays the ground for all the later connections between Chang-Su and Yamabuki and her family.
Then a gift falls from the sky, more than enough money to wipe out his debts, and he struggles with what to do with the money. Burying and unburying it a few times. We later discover that he views everything, including his injury, as being punished for wanting/desiring family. I found that an interesting character trait, and a lovely one for this film to place on a man, especially one in a found family situation. Too rarely are men shown to desire family connection in this way. One of the ways his desire is highlighted is through his relationship with Uzuki, who refers to him as O-chan, instead of To-chan which kids usually use to refer to their fathers. In a way both acknowledging his presence as patriarchal and yet different. (I’m using the anglo-spelling from the film, alternate spellings are Ousan vs Tousan).
Yamabuki was shot on 16mm film, which created a grainy effect that gave the film a very aged look. If it weren’t for a few more modern conveniences, a character using a mobile phone, one would be hard-pressed not to mistake this film for something that came out of the 1990s based on appearances.
Yamabuki premiered at the 51st International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Tiger selection.