Desert of Namibia

Desert of Namibia is the fourth feature film by Japanese filmmaker Yoko Yamanaka. The film stars Yuumi Kawai as Kana, a Gen Zer living in Tokyo. The film follows Kana as she goes to various clubs with her friends, goes to her job as a beauty technician, and hangs out with her boyfriend, all while looking underwhelmed or buried in her own thoughts. She starts seeing a new man immediately after her boyfriend confessed to going to a sex worker. She moves in with Hayashi (Daichi Kaneko), and they have a seemingly happy romance until they settle into their new apartment. Where she begins to enable huge screaming matches with Hayashi over tedium, there are scenes where she physically attacks him in very drawn-out scenes of domestic violence. These scenes of violence are contrasted by very static shots of her, almost looking comatose, going through her daily life.

There is a scene where Kana and Hayashi visit his family while car camping. Kama is pleasant to his sisters and in-laws, who are all around Kana’s age, only in various stages of pregnancy or far along in their careers. There is a lot of backhanded pressure put on Kana by Hayashi’s mother, mostly about where she’s headed in life. Kana escapes the family to smoke marijuana and returns to the function, able to function herself in the haze she created for herself. Throughout the film, we see Kamas coping devices, whether they be her constant snacking in every scene or her constantly reaching for cigarettes during every conversation she has with any other character. The culmination of her mental illness comes to a crescendo when she finds an ultrasound photo in Hayashi’s things during the move, and she holds on to it. Her ex-boyfriend attempts to reconnect, and she uses the ultrasound as a prop to lie to her ex that she had an abortion to torment him. Later, it’s revealed that the ultrasound was from Hayashi’s ex, and Kana spends the remainder of the film aggressively fighting Hayashi.

Desert of Namibia reminds me a lot of the mumblecore films of the early to mid-2000s. There is not much action in the film itself; there are many great-looking slow zooms of Kana walking through the busy streets of Tokyo, juxtaposing her feeling of being lost in the bustling metropolis. Desert of Namibia is a solid film that is a character study of mental illness and how illnesses like bipolar disorder and depression can make people feel as if they don’t fit into the roles that modern society dictates.

I liked certain aspects of this movie; the acting was great and the cinematography was gorgeous, but the story itself could have used some editing. There’s a scene at the end of the film that takes us into Kana’s mind in a surreal sequence, showing her watching herself on TV as she beats up Hayashi. This change in tone comes out of nowhere, which I am still trying to parse: did I like it, or would I have preferred it to occur more as a motif throughout the film? I think I would recommend this more for those within Gen Z and after, because this would definitely hit better for them. Every era has its disaffected young adult movies, and this one is more for Gen Z than for me.

Vital Disc Stats: Blu-ray 
Thanks to Kani and OCN Distribution, Desert of Namibia arrives on Blu-ray disc. This release includes a single region A Blu-ray housed in a clear case with a gorgeous interior cover design as well as a booklet featuring essays and photos from the film. If you order direct from vinegar Syndrome you can still snag an exclusive slipcover. 

Desert of Namibia is a truly attractive film with a strong 1080p 1.33:1 transfer, which often makes this film look incredible. The cinematography of the city streets by cinematographer Shin Yonekura is gorgeous and is, honestly, the best part of the movie. The scenes where the camera starts in a wide shot, and you have to play Where’s Waldo with Kana as she makes her way through brightly colored areas, are the peak of the film, especially.  The colors are not washed out in any other scene either; the scenes in the woods during the family camp trip have some exquisite greenery in them. Finally, the scene where we enter Kana’s surreal mindscape, we are treated to some bright pinks, which are the color of a void we rarely get to see.

The audio in this film is a little better than average. We are treated to the bustling sounds of Tokyo, which is used to drown out what our protagonist is thinking most time. The audio is in DTS-HD MA 5.1 for this release. The dialogue comes out clearly, and there is never any fuzz or interference anywhere in the film. The audio isn’t noticeably spectacular and is serviceable for this film.

This release has a ton of extra features, including trailers, an audio commentary with the director and the main cast, which is a fun listen. There are also several interviews and featurettes, which are all very informative about the making of the film. The supplements include

• Audio Commentary with director Yoko Yamanaka and actors Yuumi Kawaii, Daichi Kaneko, and Kanichiro
• Interview with director Yoko Yamanaka (34:04)
• Panel discussion with director Yoko Yamanaka and actor Yuumi Kawaii (26:39)
• Featurette "Yoko in NYC" (5:44)
• Q&A with director Yoko Yamanaka at MOMI First Look  (15:03)
•  Theatrical Trailer (1:35)
• Booklet with on-set photographs and new writing from critic Katherine Connell

Desert of Namibia is a good movie with very good visuals. This release from Kani has a lot to offer, from the great visuals to the large number of informative supplements. The movie itself is not entirely for someone in my age bracket. I feel the same way about The Big Chill and how that’s not for me because I’m not a Boomer, and so I feel like Desert of Namibia is not for me because I'm not a Gen Zer. I do feel like a Gen Z audience would appreciate this movie more than I would. I would recommend checking this release out if you want to get into more contemporary Japanese cinema or at least want a mumblecore film about mental illness with gorgeous visuals. Worth A Look