I just finished watching Late Bloomer (or it’s non-translated form, Osoi Hito), a 2004 Japanese film by indie director Go Shibata. I came across the film while checking out the Wikipedia page of one of my favorite electronic/experimental artists, World’s End Girlfriend. Late Bloomer is a real trip, to put it mildly. Take every socially-imposed taboo and stereotype associated with the handicapped and throw them out the window.
The film depicts the life of a handicapped man, Sumida. Sumida, who has cerebral palsy, enjoys drinking, attending the gigs of a caretaker’s hardcore band, and rolling through the streets in his electric wheelchair. After he falls in love with a young caretaker, Late Bloomer shows Sumida’s descent from frustration to utter misanthropy.
Late Bloomer is shot almost entirely in greyscale, which both adds to and detracts from the film. The cinematography isn’t extremely noteworthy, but I found it to be effective in its portrayal of Sumida-san and company. There are lots of interesting fast/slow-motion and lighting techniques used, adding to the chaos. The soundtrack, provided by the aforementioned World’s End Girlfriend, is phenomenal. The dialogue is supported by a cavalcade of sounds, ranging from walls of ambient, droning sounds to subtle hums and buzzes. The opening song, “Caroling Hellwalker,” and closing song, “Singing Under The Rainbow,” are both pulled from the 2002 album Dream’s End Come True (which is also worth checking out).
A more thorough review: http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/latebloomer.shtml
