Positive depictions of the family in crisis: Analysing the discursive role of ‘quiet activism’ in Koreeda Hirokazu’s family narratives Duncan Breeze 100068770 Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Art, Media and American Studies University of East Anglia July 2020 © This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution. 1 Abstract The Japanese family has undergone significant upheavals since the late 20th century and this has had profound effects on cinematic representations. Contemporary filmmaker Koreeda Hirokazu has gained worldwide fame as a director of family dramas, many of which depict the family in contemporary social contexts. This thesis focuses on a selection of Koreeda’s films (and a TV series) termed the ‘family narratives’ (2011-2016) to determine how the representations of family and associated gender roles positively address social developments and anxieties. Recognising their broader role within sociological debates in Japan, this project asks, how do Koreeda’s family narratives function as a discourse on contemporary social anxieties related to family and gender? Evading traditional authorship methods, the critical framework relies on a range of approaches examining film as history (Standish 2000; Rosenstone 2012), the family on film (Harwood 1997) and the ‘social problem film’ to textually analyse the discursive role of Koreeda’s representations within socio-historical contexts. Using this framework, I test the extent to which Koreeda acts as a ‘quiet activist’, subtly challenging and reframing dominant socio-political discourses of the family. Analysis across five chapters reveals the narratives to demonstrate fluctuating levels of quiet activism depending upon the demographics they address. This variation is related to a range of potential factors including historical contexts, individual (filmmaker) subjectivities, and generic format. Ultimately, when acting in the interests of quiet activism, Koreeda’s family narratives are determined to possess a unique discursive function within Japanese (and possibly international) cinema by using positive representations of the family to petition for radical socio-political change. 2 Access Condition and Agreement Each deposit in UEA Digital Repository is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of the Data Collections is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your research use or for educational purposes in electronic or print form. 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Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 List of Figures 6 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 11 A certain tendency of Japanese cinema studies: Authorship 16 Authorship in practice: The family in Japanese cinema 21 Authorship: Towards a discursive function 30 Methodology 36 The Japanese family in the Meiji era to the present day 47 Koreeda as a cinematic discourse on social problems 55 Quiet activism in Koreeda’s family narratives 64 Chapters 72 The limits of quiet activism 75 Chapter 1 - Post-nuclear Family Structures: Bridging Old and New Communal Family Networks in I Wish 79 Family standardisation in the Meiji and post-war eras 81 Rising divorce and non-standard families in the post-bubble era 86 Building new families in I Wish 91 Agrarian communities in the pre-modern era and beyond 97 Family as postmodern village community 101 3 Koreeda’s children: the generation of compromise 106 Conclusion 117 Chapter 2 - Single Women, Careers and Furusato Communities in Our Little Sister 120 Japanese women and social expectations - from Meiji to Womenomics 125 Our Little Sister – sisters and careers 129 Expanding feminine ‘roles’ 135 Furusato and the reframing of gendered hierarchies 141 Furusato as the ‘answer’ to Womenomics 150 Conclusion 154 Chapter 3 - 21st Century Fatherhood: Modernising the Salaryman in Like Father, Like Son 157 Hegemonic masculinity in transition 161 Like Father, Like Son – competing masculinities 165 Corporate (de)constructions of fatherhood 177 (Re)mythologising all fathers 189 Conclusion 197 Chapter 4 - Housewives of Past and Present: Mothers as Marginalised Demographic in Like Father, Like Son 200 Koreeda’s mothers 204 The housewife in context 207 The contemporary ‘professional housewife’ 214 The working housewife – overcoming resistance 217 Maternal myth as validation and constraint 225 Conclusion 232 4 Chapter 5 - ‘I’m not who I want to be yet’: Abe Hiroshi, Comedy and Generational Masculine Anxieties in Going my Home and After the Storm 236 Functions of comedy and embarrassment 241 Competing masculinities and generations in post-bubble Japan 244 Going my Home – The domestic salaryman 249 After the Storm – Immature adulthood 256 Comedy working for and against quiet activism 265 Conclusion 274 Conclusion 277 The limitations of studying authorship as discourse 283 (Quiet) cinematic activism 287 Filmography 291 Bibliography 293 5 List of Figures Chapter 1 Post-nuclear family structures: Bridging old and new communal family networks in I Wish Fig 1.1 Brothers and central protagonists Ryu (L, played by Maeda Oshiro) and Koichi (R, Maeda Koki) (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 91 Fig 1.2 Diverse family networks - Ryu, Kenji (Odagiri Joe), band members and Ryu’s friends play with fireworks at their house (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 95 Fig 1.3 Diverse family networks - Koichi, Nozomi (Otsuka Nene) and her parents gather for dinner (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 95 Fig 1.4 Ie legacy - Shukichi (Hashizume Ishao) teaches Koichi how to make karukan (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 102 Fig 1.5 Self-sufficiency - ‘farming’ vegetables and music at Ryu’s house (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 103 Fig 1.6 Koreeda links two shots of the brothers speaking by an animated telephone line connecting ‘Kagoshima’ (left) and ‘Fukuoka’ (right) (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 105 Fig 1.7 Temporary family network - the children are helped by an isolated elderly couple in Kawashiri (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 113 Fig 1.8 The ‘generation of compromise’ - the children wait for the passing bullet trains (‘Kiseki’ Production Committee 2011). 116 Chapter 2 Single women, careers and furusato communities in Our Little Sister Fig 2.1 Sachi (centre, played by Ayase Haruka) leads sisters Chika (L, Kaho) and Yoshino (R, Nagasawa Masami) after their father’s funeral (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 131 Fig 2.2 Suzu (L, Hirose Suzu) and Sachi, standing on a hill overlooking Kamakura, share their emotions regarding their parents (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 136 6 Fig 2.3 The closing shot of the film features the sisters walking as a group down an open beach, signifying the openness of their lives ahead if they remain a collective (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 141 Fig 2.4 Furusato feelings - yukatas and fireworks in the garden (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 144 Fig 2.5 Suzu and friends ride through cherry blossoms (left) and prepare whitebait (right) (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 146 Fig 2.6 Sachi washes dishes during a meeting with her lover. The tight framing symbolises the restrictions she will face as a housewife should their relationship develop fully (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 149 Fig 2.7 ‘Repurposing tradition’ - the sisters mend a screen door (Toho/GAGA corporation/Fuji Television Network/Shogakukan/TV Man Union 2015). 150 Chapter 3 21st Century Fatherhood: Modernising the Salaryman in Like Father, Like Son Fig 3.1 Ryo (L, played by Fukuyama Masaharu), Keita (centre, Ninomiya Keita) and Midori (R, Ono Machiko) attend a school interview. In this opening scene of the film, Ryo’s ‘professional’ attitude towards the family is established (Fuji Television Network Inc./Amuse Inc./GAGA Corporation 2013). 168 Fig 3.2 Ryo and Midori attend the first meeting between couples and hospital staff. Ryo studies Yudai with contempt (Fuji Television Network Inc./Amuse Inc./GAGA Corporation 2013). 169 Fig 3.3 Yudai (R, played by Lily Franky) and Yukari (L, Maki Yoko) sit opposite Ryo and Midori (Fuji Television Network Inc./Amuse