bright future

The song "Mirai" by "The Back Horn" (see previous post) belongs to the soundtrack of the 2003 movie "Akarui Mirai" ("Bright Future"), featuring two of Japan's top actors: Asano Tadanobu and Odagiri Joe. The movie deals with the emptiness and alienation of two (post-) adolescent disillusioned semi-loners. The relationship between them and the father of one of them is also explored, hence making the "generation gap" another theme for the movie.

The movie itself may be a bit too pretentious but the most interesting aspect (from my point of view ;-) and the reason for this post is: the beautiful but poisonous jellyfish pet that one of the two young men is keeping. He tries to adapt it to fresh water. After he commits a serious crime and has to be imprisoned, he asks his friend to take care of the pet. This jellyfish holds the key to the film's symbolism, relating to society. (Spoiler Warning) As can be seen in the beginning of the video clip, the jellyfish has successfully adapted to fresh water and they are breeded and released into the city's canal stream by the young man's friend and father. Soon all canals are populated by wonderful but poisonous blooms of pulsating fluorescent bells.

Possibly Bright Future's most bizarre addition is that of the red jellyfish (...). This is the basis of the film's central conceit (which we won't reveal) and probably one of the finest McGuffins of recent years – crucial to the plot in terms of drive and purpose but ultimately a foil for the characters which reveals their tortured lives.

poster via le cinéphile déviant

Here is The Back Horn's song and video "Mirai":