The life of bitter teenager Jiro Sugita (Tamio Kawaji) spirals out of control as his petty lawlessness and his resentment of his mother's relationship with a married man leads to violence. Seijun Suzuki's teen melodrama is an unpleasant snapshot of life amongst disaffected youth who were born in the ruins of Japan just as the War in the Pacific was ending. Jiro's resentment comes from his mother being forced to take money from a lover in order to survive, money that Jiro hates but willing demands (the idea of being dependent on outside money may have been very resonant with audiences during Japan's 'rebuilding' stage). The film is quite 'adult', with brief glimpses of nudity, issues such as abortion and youth prostitution, and candid and casual off-screen brutality (there are several indifferent references to girls in the gang being raped by multiple boys). I found it more disturbing than a comparable American 'JD' pic, possibly because the youth look more 'innocent' (especially the girls) and less like the 'cliched' street hoodlums you'd see in, for example, a John Cassavetes film. The direction is quite effective although the acting was a bit melodramatic at times (although angry teens are not particularly known for subtleties of behaviour). The cinematography is good except for a number of weak and obvious back-projection scenes and the young cast, notably Yoshiko Nezu as Jiro's 'in for anything' girlfriend Toshimi and Shinako Nakagawa as her desperate pregnant friend Etsuko, is quite good. An interesting look at the darker side of Japanese post-war culture, well-made but not for all tastes.
Review of Everything Goes Wrong
