Gay
life in Japan used to be entirely in the closet. Okoge
(1992), for example, depicted formidable obstacles blocking
acceptance of gay people. In contrast, Hush!,
directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi, portrays an open recognition
of the legitimacy of gay life, though with twists and turns
that are uniquely Japanese. When the story begins, we see
Naoya (played by Kazuya Takahashi), who works in a pet shop,
swearing as a sex partner leaves abruptly in the morning,
a one-night stand rather than the beginning of a relationship
that Naoya seeks. Soon, however, he is living with the love
of his life, Katsuhiro (played by Seiichi Tanabe), who in
turn has not had the courage to come out of the closet to
spare a female coworker from the frustration of pursuing him.
The more closeted, intellectual Katsuhiro beautifully complements
the more openly gay, spontaneous Naoya, and they live together
happily. However, dental technician Asako (played by Reiko
Kataoka) has taken a fancy to research engineer Katsuhiro.
We learn later that she had failed relationships with men,
and abortions resulted, but now she proposes to carry Katsuhiro's
child. Her proposal, then, has both serious and comedic consequences.
Naoya and Katsuhiro have what appears to be a lover's spat
over the idea, but ultimately they agree that any decision
to accept her proposal must be acceptable to both lovers.
Thereafter, the three interact socially and convivially, so
a favorable decision seems likely. One day, however, Naoya's
mother barges into his apartment; unaware that her son is
gay; she is desperate to have her son marry a woman. On another
occasion, Katsuhiro's brother and his family arrive unexpectedly
to stop Asako from having Katsuhiro's child. The older women
talk demeaningly to Asako, and emotions flare, something disapproved
in Japanese culture, and Asako leaves in a state of despondence.
The following morning Naoya and Katsuhiro go to her apartment
to make sure that she has not committed suicide, and the three
are reunited. When the film ends, Asako has bought two long
syringes for the semen of both lovers, saying that her first
child will be from Katsuhiro, and her second child will be
from Naoya. When credits roll, we see baby pictures of her
offspring from the gay couple, but there are more than two.
A barebones plot summary, however, does not tell the full
story. Many of the funniest scenes will be enjoyed more in
Japan, while American audiences will be oblivious of much
of the comedic content; for example, when Naoya's mother comments
favorably on how clean he keeps his toilet, Japanese filmviewers
will laugh uproariously, while Americans will not see any
humor. An effort to explain why the two men are gay is provided
in the story, something perhaps more important for Japanese
than for Americans. Thus, Naoya became gay because he his
father died at an early age, so he picked Katsuhiro, a masculine
gay man. Katsuhiro, on the other hand, had an alcoholic father
who provided not much of a role model for successful heterosexuality,
and he prefers a gentler man. But many people have absent
or alcoholic fathers and do not become gay. What is important
about Hush! is the extent to which
the two lovers accept each other so maturely that the way
in which they solve problems together should be a model for
heterosexuals. Indeed, the heterosexuals in the film seem
so impressed with their relationship that they end up eager
to provide support. A feel-good movie in the best sense, Hush!
will produce a smile on the face of filmviewers as they leave
the cinema. MH
I
want to comment on this film
