Strawberry Shortcakes Review

Cheerful Satoko (Ikewaki Chizuru) is a receptionist for an Escort Service, “Heaven’s Gate”. Having survived a particularly rough breakup while still a teenager (she was dating a much older boyfriend), Satoko is resigned to the fact that she may not find true love again. When she’s not trying to dodge the advances of her horny boss, she lives a quiet and lonesome life in a tiny apartment. She finds some solace by praying to a odd shaped stone which she thinks has the “face of god” on it.

One of her few friends at work is the classy and attractive Akiyo (Nakamura Yuko) who has a morbid fascination with death (she sleeps in a coffin!) and dreams of a day when she can get out of the Escort business, buy a condo and be in a real relationship. She longs for a former classmate who only sees her as a close friend and nothing more. Then there is perky “OL” -Office Lady- Chihiro(Nakagoshi Noriko) who is in a one-sided relationship with a fellow co-worker but holds out hope that she can mean more to him than just a casual fling. Her roommate is the brooding Toko (Iwase Toko) who gives new meaning to the phrase “starving artist” as she is so emotionally passionate about her work that she engages in dangerous binge/purge behavior. Their unfolding stories are a fascinating look at human behavior: self-destructive obsessions, faith in divine intervention, undying hope in a better tomorrow and love.

While all four leads bring interesting depth and substance to their characters, it is Iwase Toko (the stage name of “Strawberry Shortcakes” author Nananan) and Nakamura Yuko who are the standouts in their individual roles. Toko’s bouts with bulimia are painful to watch and Iwase’s portrayal seems almost too gut-wrenching real. Nakamura brings a sense of quiet dignity and complexity to her role as Akiyo, a woman who services the sexual fantasies of others yet denies herself true love and happiness. She is willing subject herself to all sorts of humiliation if it will mean that she will be one step closer to her dream. Her duality is further emphasized by her assuming two distinct looks to separate her fantasy world (glamorous, classy) from her real world (no makeup, jeans and glasses).

Yazaki films ”Strawberry Shortcakes” almost like a documentary and his stark and blunt portrayals of sex and love remind me of Larry Clark’s films such as “Ken Park” and “Kids”. While the ending in particular did seem a bit contrived and some of the drama forced, I found “Strawberry Shortcakes” an interesting film and one which did make me care about these characters and the lives they lead. Life can be a bitch but perhaps surviving those rough spots are the true test of our character, our faith and hope.