Cutie and the Boxer

   I was not sure what to expect when I chose this documentary for this week, but I certainly did not expect what we saw. Cutie and the Boxer was our latest choice for documentary and again it is nominated for Best Documentary at the 2014 Academy Awards. It is also my current pick to win though we have yet to see The Art of Killing or 20 Feet from Stardom.

    This film was about two married Japanese artists, Ushio and Noriko Shinohara and specifically about their marriage of 41 years. It is a beautifully filmed story of a seemingly troubled marriage. Throughout the film it seems as if Noriko harbors strong dislike if not hatred for her husband and their life of poverty in SoHo. Through her artistic narration we see the story of how he took advantage of her needs as a young immigrant and then how she felt trapped when they had a child very quickly. Ushio fell into alcoholism soon after and was very abandoning of his family.

     Interspersed through Noriko's comic book like story telling is video both from the past and present of Ushio and his views of himself and his wife. On the one hand Ushio seems to need constant reassurance that his artwork is any good, and his wife constantly gives this to him. Noriko, on the other hand, knows her artwork is good and insists upon promoting and showing it despite constant criticism from Ushio who seems to be jealous of her confidence and ability.

    This was a very beautiful film that captured the story of a lifetime remarkably well. By far the best scene of the entire piece was played during the credits and I will not spoil it. Go log on to Netflix and watch it.