Saturday 19 October 2019

First Love - BFI London Film Festival


When I first read this title, I immediately thought of The Maccabees song (same title) and the funny thing is, the song actually fits perfectly amongst the Yakuza, their henchmen, the crooked policeman and the of course the boxer who just happened to be walking past at the right time in the wrong place. The song doesn’t necessarily work word for word but it does have the same tone as Leo and Monica’s story. I won’t try and summarise the stories on the film as they cross over and over again so I’ll write brief intro.

Over the course of a day a crooked cop and Yakuza snitch plan to steal a drug shipment and set off war with the rival Chinese gang but nothing goes according to plan. Caught in the middle of all this is Leo, a dedicated boxer who has just found out devastating news, but his life changes the minutes he bumps into Monica, a drug addict who has been held captive by the Yakuza to settle her father’s debts. It’s one crazy night that isn’t without a blood bath or two.

The actual carnage of the night is brutal and bloody but isn’t without comedy. There are several scenes that take place that shouldn’t be amusing but you can’t help but laugh at the ridiculous events playing out, particular in part to Kase, the Yakuza henchman who is betraying his people. His plan seems air tight but anything that could go wrong, goes wrong, leaving him to kill quite a few people in the process, to his annoyance. Another overtly comedic recurring theme is the underestimation of Juri, girlfriend of murdered Yakuza member who was also helping keep Monica captive. She survives the most throughout the film from almost rape, murder, explosion and finally turns rabid dragging around an axe to kill the one she believes is responsible. Its very funny and painful at the same time, but the one thing to learn here is, NEVER underestimate a woman.

One of the best and worst meet queue for a romance is definitely between Leo and Monica. The former takes out the corrupt cop with one swift punch, all because the latter asked for help. This sets in motion a long night of survival. As Leo feels like he has nothing left to loose, plus only being told that he needs someone to fight for other than himself, is a massive hint to what is to come next. Leo’s and Monica’s romance isn’t sickly over the top but is subtle and sweet, their trust grows first and seeing as they are in a life or death situation, that is more valuable than over dramatic moments.

The weird and wonderful moments in ‘First Love’ are exactly what I’d expect from the director of ‘Blade of the Immortal’, Takashi Miike. An entertaining crazy fuelled story with a very sweet delicate centre.


#LFF @BFI