Inspired by symbolism in the frame: Takeshi Kitano´s Dolls (2002)
Figure 1: Takeshi Kitano, Dolls, Sochiku Company Limited, Japan 2002. The film Dolls (2002, Takeshi Kitano) is undoubtedly Kitano's (b. 1947) most visually astounding and painterly film (Harwood, 2017). The film opens and closes with a bunraku performance, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre where dolls act out a chanted dramatic narrative. The bunraku performance in the movie acts out a love-suicide-themed history and serves as a symbolic foundation for the rest of the story. Kitano mentions that the film is allegorical, and one could view it as bunraku in film form (Jagernauth, 2005). A prominent aspect of the main character's story is the couple, tied together, walking through the seasons in an almost aerial perspective. Here, one can compare visual perception to the effects of being in an ethereal space (Pöppel et al., 2016, p. 1). Space and vivid colors are paired, and the absence of shadows is shot in outdoor high-key lighting, creating a dynamic emotion and contra...