Osho Martial Arts Club
Osho Martial Arts Club
10 mins 39 secs
(2008)
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Ethnographic filmmaker Itsushi Kawase is a unique storyteller, a visual documentarian who's worked a number of years in Ethiopia. And while ethnographic documentaries on Africa are typically stereotyped for stereotyping, Kawase takes a refreshingly minimalist approach to storytelling, prefering to let real events and the impromptu relationship his subjects have with the camera speak for itself. Using simple camerawork, his films situate the viewer in a specific time and place. Osho Martial Arts Club is a succinct record of a karate exhibition in Gondar. The plotting's subtle: a large audience in an auditorium watches as uniformed children perform karate drills onstage, sparring in pairs or groups, or using bare hands and feet to break slabs of clay. Men bend thick metal rods with their bodies in a show of incredible strength. A booming voice announces snacks and event sponsors over a loudspeaker. It’s the only form of narration throughout the entire film, yet the amount of information it offers is substantial. The karate program clearly serves as a source of communal gathering for Gondar residents. The audience is diverse: young and old, it even includes a priest wearing traditional garb. Gender barriers appear nonexistent; karate students comprise of girls and boys. In fact, an incredibly cute moment reveals itself when an aggressive young girl chases down her sparring partner as he takes petrified steps to flee her advances.
While documentaries with minimal plotting or narration allow viewers more freedom to discern their own meaning, it’s worth remembering the filmmaker ultimately selects all visual details, in essence deciding what is worth noticing. For this, Kawase has a strangely compassionate eye. Throughout the show, he offers glimpses of children peering from behind backstage curtains, visibly awed by the event and audience. We in turn are awed by a child, who, separated from all others onstage in more ways than one, imitates their karate moves. Grabbing a slab of clay, he slams his hand down repeatedly, trying to slice it clean through. It’s a bittersweet moment as Kawase lets us savor his enthusiasm. In this way, Osho Martial Arts Club covers the breadth of meaningful human experience: community, laughter, youthful curiosity, perseverance, and our wilful capacity to dream. The film underscores the beauties we’d notice, if only we'd keep our eyes open.
(Archived: 2008-10-22 06:00 PM)
Post Tags: film, ethiopia, karate, osho martial arts center, gondar, itsushi kawase, japanese,
Abesha.Com:

03/04 at 04:10 AM
Reply
I read your article,it’s very interesting to note that among Africa there’s so little information about ourselves to show,the only news that captures people is of strife etc.
I wish you all the best of luck.