Written and directed by Adam VillaSeñor and Reza Ghassemi
With performances by Yusuke Ogasawara, Tyler Wood, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Timothy V Murphy, S. Scott McCracken, and Stefanie Estes
Language: English and Japanese
Running Time: 90 minutes
In Full Bloom is a polished, visually stunning, and emotionally saturated feature debut from the directing duo Adam VillaSeñor and Reza Ghassemi. But what truly elevates their film, what keeps it from straying into been-there-done-that, boxing-is-a-metaphor-for-life territory, is how it introduces—and then harmonises—its seemingly contrasting themes, ultimately creating, to put it simply, cinematic poetry.
Set in post-WWII Japan, the film depicts the lead-up to a boxing match between Japan’s reigning champion Masahiro (Yusuke Ogasawara) and America’s challenger Clint Sullivan (Tyler Wood). We see Masahiro venturing into the frigid mountaintops to train with the renowned Tokugawa (Hiroyuki Watanabe), while Clint navigates the politically-wrought underworld of sports. Two very different fighters—culturally, physically, and emotionally—who come from different parts of the world, and who, not that long ago, once stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. One ultimate goal.
It is, in effect, a confrontation between the East and the West, and the film establishes this binary really well: first, there’s the bilingualism (the Japanese and American characters each speak their native language); second, there are the voiceovers, in which both Masahiro and Clint, in Malick-esque style, softly narrate their emotional journeys, inviting us, the audience, to dive deep and understand where they’re coming from and why each is fighting; and then, most effectively, there’s the fact that Masahiro and Clint spend the majority of the film apart, indeed, never even speak to each other, fostering urgency, suspense, and anticipation that deepens our understanding of each fighter’s respective journeys, making it difficult to choose a side.
Because the fact of the matter is: it’s not about the boxing match, it’s not about which boxer will best the other, it’s not about winning. No, it’s about the journey, the struggle, the process, which, yes, may seem like an overused idea, but what’s different about In Full Bloom is that VillaSeñor and Ghassemi are at the helm here. Since it’s not, for them, about the action spectacle—which isn’t to say the boxing match itself is poorly executed because it is, in fact, the opposite—the directing duo is ultimately afforded the space for auteuristic flexing. And what you get are stylistic and narrative choices that blend art and action, the emotional and the physical, the poetic and the cinematic. (Masahiro’s story arc, in particular, especially his training sequences and conversations with Tokugawa, are visual, emotional, and cinematic perfection.)
There are, admittedly, some rough spots, some clunky narrative choices, and a few undercooked ideas: Wood’s performance as the American down-on-his-luck fighter is a bit, well, wooden; the women in the film feel more like plot devices than actual women; and the shady deal between the Japanese—are they gangsters?—and Clint’s manager begs the question what’s going on here and do I even care.
But the good does overshadow—even makes up for—the bad: Watanabe’s Tokugawa is the sensei of all senseis; Ogasawara as Masahiro is the perfect emotional invitation to this film; and the cinematography is *chef’s kiss*.
VillaSeñor and Ghassemi are directors to watch out for, there’s no doubt about that. And if this film is supposed to serve as their introduction to the world of feature filmmaking, consider their journeys as auteurs, dare I say it, in full bloom.
This movie is now available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
Does Clint die at the end? And who won the fight?