Shukishi and Tomi's Sleepless Night in Atami (Adam Davis)

    The sequence at Atami is important in the development of Tomi and Shukishi’s relationship because it allows us to see them alone together for an extended period of time. The scene where they’re trying to sleep is particularly revealing. 

    At the beginning of this scene, we see a group of young people playing Mahjong in a crowded, smoky room. The camera lingers in this room for longer than seems necessary, immersing us briefly in the atmosphere, which is (as Tomi observes later) lively. While I felt bad for Tomi and Shukishi, I wasn’t particularly annoyed by the hotel guests, who are just having fun in a manner typical of young people.

    There are two transition shots—the bustling hotel corridor, and Tomi and Shukishi’s sandals outside their room—which highlight the contrast between the previous scene and the next one. Then we’re inside Tomi and Shukishi’s bedroom, where they lay in silence fanning themselves. When Tomi asks what time it is, Shukishi only responds with a groan. There seems to be an understanding between them that Tomi didn’t actually want to know the time, but was expressing her frustration at being kept up so late. Throughout this scene, they never openly complain about the situation in the hotel, or about their children who sent them there. 



    Previously, when we noticed that Tomi and Shukishi never complain, we might have assumed that they were just trying to be polite because their children were there. Now we see that even when they’re alone, they don’t voice their frustration, which doesn’t mean that they never get frustrated. Rather, they just don’t feel the need to express it to one another because they are able to understand each other’s feelings without any explicit communication. 

    I think the couple is remarkably gracious in how they respond to the situation. The following morning, Shukishi’s only comment about the night before is, “this place is for the younger generation,” and Tomi agrees with him. There doesn’t seem to be any bitterness towards the younger hotel guests in this exchange, just an acknowledgement that this hotel, and perhaps also the world in general, isn’t well-suited to people their age. 

Comments

  1. Krishnan VenkateshNovember 3, 2021 at 10:09 PM

    Their graciousness is remarkable, isn't it? My parents in their old age were also like this, so I wonder if it's something that can be gained with age. Instead of maddening frustration at being denied sleep, it's a more simple, matter-of-fact frustration that can see the causes and accept the consequences as inevitable: "it's just the young being young, and we wouldn't want them to be any other way."

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