Achilles and the Tortoise (Akiresu to kame)

Takeši Kitano

Japan 2008 | 119 min | 35 mm | colour | 1:1,85 | Celluloid Dreams
japanese version, czech and english subtitles

Individual titles of multimedial artist Takeshi Kitano’s work can be perceived as separated films reflecting given phase of author’s life. Achilles and the Tortoise is the last part of a trilogy in which the author reflects many of his creative personalities. The main character starts to paint in his childhood and keeps trying even when he gets older (played by Kitano himself). The film is not a fiery critique, more likely it is an open minded satire showing specific visual melancholy known from previous director’s work. The film makes fun of private art schools, ironically repeats the clichés of would-be artists and demonizes the arbiters that establish the value of things based on false calculation. According to Kitano, the Art is nothing but a mere illusion. The author questions also his own art work; all pictures in this film are his own.