FEUDING THROUGH FOOD
How do you tame a surly teen? Kill them with kindness – and lunchboxes. By AMANDA SHEPPARD
Atight-lipped teen whose mother’s very existence seems to cause them strife: that’s hardly an original tale. But in director Renpei Tsukamoto’s based-on-a-true-story film Bento Harassment, the mother’s answer to her door-slamming daughter’s ways is most decidedly original. Instead of a war of words, she decides to best her with bento. And so begins a three-year battle between widowed mother-of-two Kaori (Ryoko Shinohara) and disgruntled high school student Futaba (Kyoko Yoshine). Elaborate charaben – ‘character bento’ – are Kaori’s weapon of choice. The lunch boxes house ornately designed visuals and messages – chastising her daughter for her inability to help around the house one day, or sickeningly sweet notes deliberately designed to embarrass the next. The charaben are met with humiliation and resentment from Futaba, but this only motivates her mother to go on – particularly because the boxes are returned empty each day, down to the last grain of rice. In Bento Harassment, the characters are as dynamic as the bento boxes themselves. While you may pledge your allegiance to Kaori and her brash bento early in the film, as it progresses you’ll find yourself invested in both characters becoming more independent and growing into their own. They’re not the only ones who progress, either. A subplot follows a grieving widower’s (Ryuta Sato) attempt to reconnect with his son, using Kaori’s blog about her charaben as inspiration. Set on the remote island of Hachijojima, about 300 kilometres south of Tokyo, the film plays out almost entirely through messages conveyed through uniquely Japanese lunches. But its message is universal: a mother’s love is unconditional, and stubbornness is a trait that runs in most families. The production itself is characterised by its kitsch. There are several false endings – title credits appear on screen before the actors will them away. They add another dimension to the film, but also highlight the fact that there’s no need for a conventional happily-ever-after here – it’s real life that’s actually worth rooting for.