The Two in Tracksuits

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Movie: The Two in Tracksuits
Romaji: Jaji no futari
Japanese: ジャージの二人
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura
Assistant Director: Toru Yamamoto
Writer: Yu Nagashima (novel), Yoshihiro Nakamura
Producer: Yasushi Udagawa, Keigo Tanabe, Yusuke Wakabayashi
Cinematography: Takashi Komatsu
Release Date: July 19, 2008
Runtime: 93 min.
Studio: Xanadeux, Dub
Distributor: Xanadeux
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan

Plot

A son quits his job and is persuaded by his father to head off to a cottage in the remote mountains. Together, the two of them manage to get through their days while wearing old jerseys left by a deceased grandmother. The following summer, the two once again leave the stifling heat of Tokyo, as if escaping to the mountain cottage. However, the next summer is very different ....

Cast

Masato Sakai - the son
Makoto Ayukawa - the father
Miki Mizuno - daughter-in-law
Asami Tanaka - Hanako
Dankan - Mr. Okada
Michiyo Ookusu - Ms. Toyama
Rie Kuwana
Jun Matsumoto
Mio Mukaino
Takamitsu Nonaka

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2009 (9th) Nippon Connection - April 15th-19th - Nippon Cinema

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Ki Jul 11 2009 5:03 pm “The Two in Tracksuits” starts off with a 54 year old father (played by Makoto Ayukawa) and his 32 year old son (played Masato Sakai) escaping from the blistering Tokyo summer heat to enjoy ice cream together at a local Mini-Stop convenient store. The duo then decide to take off to their grandparents’ empty country home in Gunma Prefecture to further escape from the heat. And thus begins the charming film known as “The Two in Tracksuits.”

The film then unveils its quirky story hinting at the oddball black comedy set in rural Japan like “Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!,” “The Matsugane Potshot Affair,” or the classic “The Taste of Tea.” Yet, “The Two in Tracksuits” steps on the brakes during the early portions of the film to reveal its story at a far more leisurely pace, immersing in the charms of small town life, while also revealing a more realistic touch than expected. As the two men spend the summer together, wearing vintage tracksuits found in their grandparent’s home, their difficult lives back home are unveiled in bits and pieces.

The son, played by the always charming Masato Sakai (Honey & Clover), is unemployed and strongly suspects his unhappy wife of having an affair. Meanwhile his father, played by Makoto Ayukawa (actual guitarist for rock band “Sheena and the Rockets”), is burdened with his own marital problems and an unfulfilling job. The movie actually has two parts if you will, with the father and son’s first trip to the grandparent’s home taking up the first half of the film and the pair returning the following year for the second half.

While the film ultimately reveals the father and son’s troubled home life the movie never becomes bleak or turns dramatic. The kind of charm found in “The Taste of Tea” is always ever present, with repetitive gags involving wild boars, tomatoes, the only point in town that receives a cell phone signal, and those spiffy vintage tracksuits. The close bond between the unorthodox father and son also become apparent through various scenes – none more so than when the pair lie next to each other to sleep and calmly asks questions about the other’s home life.

No doubt about it, if you are an impatient sort of person or not particularly fond of films like “The Taste of Tea” or “Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!” you’ll probably find yourself quickly losing patience with “The Two in Tracksuits.” You might even find the movie much ado about nothing if you don’t stick around until end. For myself, I found “The Two in Tracksuits” to be a very pleasant surprise, unfolding in a manner where time breezes by while, with characters done just right.

The Two in Tracksuits

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