The entire process lasts for a single day and this is coincidentally the time it took to film the movie as well. Emi is an aspiring actress from the countryside. She is already in contact with Satsuki, her friend, and Hasegawa, her former classmate from high school drama club, trying to get ready for an audition in Tokyo. But things get awkward, Hasegawa who has been in kind of a brief relationship with both Emi and Satsuki does eavesdrop on them and when he catches them talking about him he scurries off. Emi asks her fellow high school drama club members to assist her during the audition, including the couple, Tanimoto and Kokko. Tanimoto was also involved with Emi a long time ago and decides to try and be “charming” again but Ko-Saw realizes this and scolds Emi’s mom. Somewhere at the same time, Satsuki tells her that she needs to go but even so Emi decides to travel to Tokyo and show up at the audition. On the bus there, she begs everyone on board if they would help her practice, and when she gets into the city another friend of hers does. Finally, she gets to the audition.
On a first impression, “Maybe Woohoo” appears like an actress’ potential career making audition, only this time it is set in futuristic japan. What stands out in this movie, is Yasukawa’s rather strange style of repetition, similar to Yasukawa’s previous works, which see actors use stage lines but in varied settings. Not only does this convey a more abstract meaning, but it also helps establish the movie’s main philosophy, which is, one may argue, is Love is a feeling that only the passionate understand. In excess repetition, it is observed, people gradually begin to ignore the actual words and instead comprehend the meaning of each act and scene.
Another great illustration is when during a bus scene wombat advises her friend hinting at the thoughts behind the therapist’s words, everyone wants to be an actor, but few are ready to work hard, wait and and be disciplined as the profession requires. Further, pursuing one’s goals, regardless of the circumstances, modern relationships and their nuances, are even more relevant in today’s world.
As much as its easy to ignore, the film’s entire premise oozes dramatic theatricality and that is blatantly obvious during the actor’s performances, and how the same set of lines are delivered over and over again. And while Emi, best played by Remi Miyamori, often prattles with a touch of exaggeration in her tone, I must admit this fits neatly to the movie itself. Her versatility is quite astonishing as she embodies countless feelings such as sadness and eagerness perfectly. It almost seems as if the role was crafted for her. But Emi is not alone, the other cast members do the same to a lesser degree.
Cinematographer Motomu Ishigaki does set a peculiar ambiance with his shot taking but his emphasis on filming the actors in the city is what sets him apart. But his take on the traditional bus setting combined with everything else meshes well with the movie. The combination of Yasukawa’s editing skills and Ishigaki’s filming adds an incredible level of up scrolling tension to the movie.
“Maybe Woohoo,” directed by Remi Miyamori, is not effortlessly a film for everyone for its experimental type of the film as well as the stylistic approach being so simple, and its engaging idea of a performance within a movie, but is guaranteed to be entertaining while however it definitely warrants a watch for Remi Miyamori’s performance.
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