Synopsis 1

1.

The first part represents history and the contradictory experience, for me, of being ‘Japanese’
I use mainly the voice of my friend Satomi Seki (89 years old at the time), who speaks in English, her first language, of her parents’ experiences of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. This voice is overlapped with a track called ‘Japanese for travelers’ (from Nood, a Norwegian electronic experimental duo). This track is used throughout the film.

The images were shot on Maui, in Bon Dance, the Japanese-American cemetery constructed in the 50's. It shows the Buddhist tradition of holding dance festivals, organized in temples, to remember people who have passed away. The video includes a still portrait of my parents and me.
I filmed the images of myself in saturated color, lying down with a blond wig and make-up, to pay homage to one aspect of the Western view of Japan: women and sex. These images are used throughout the film.