I’m glad I never happened to read any synopses of Vibrator beforehand and based my decision to watch it solely on the fact that it was sitting on my shelf for 6 months. Had I known this was a movie focused mostly on a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown and that it has almost as much internal dialogue as spoken dialogue I most likely would have avoided it at all costs. Fortunately for me, I remained blissfully unaware of these facts until it was too late. It turned out to be a film that’s both poignant and uniquely moving without actually trying very hard to be either.
One snowy night Rei (Shinobu Terajima) visits a convenience store to pick up some booze to quiet those pesky voices in her head. One wonders how these voices could possibly get a word in edgewise, however, as we’re allowed access to her thoughts over the next few minutes via an exceedingly comprehensive voiceover. It becomes abundantly clear that Rei is not a particularly happy person and over the years she’s developed too many psychological defense mechanisms to list. A freelance writer herself, Rei thumbs through some women’s magazines and finds that the article headlines only exacerbate her current mood. She gets disgusted and moves on.
With most of Rei’s insecurities and innermost thoughts established within the first four minutes of the film, in walks Takatoshi (Nao Omori from Ichi the Killer) - a bleached-blonde truck driver who radiates an odd self-confidence. Their eyes meet for an instant and suddenly Rei’s inner dialogue switches from a continual voiceover to an occasional text screen - a subtle change that accentuates the importance of the encounter. He walks by her and through some sort of an x-ray view we see the cell phone in her jacket held not-so-subtly near her heart begin to vibrate as he gets closer. For his own venture into the realm of “not-so-subtle” Takatoshi gently (and faux-accidentally) brushes his hand against her butt as he walks by. She’s hooked. After he leaves the store she pauses and eventually goes outside to find him waiting in his truck for her. She hops in and their relationship begins.
What starts out as a sexual romp turns into something more as she decides to travel with him for a while as he makes his next few deliveries. Over the next two days of traveling together Takatoshi shares stories of his past which may or may not be exaggerated to make himself feel important and prattles on about the different types of radio frequencies CBs use as if he’s disseminating military secrets. In turn Rei gradually lets her guard down with him resulting in a few random crying fits, a mild nervous breakdown, some puking, and one attempted self-drowning. Much to Rei’s surprise, however, none of this really fazes Takatoshi one bit. He just seems to accept her how she is; not out of empathy or pity, but simply because he likes her - a fact she just can’t seem to get her head around.
Obviously Vibrator doesn’t have much of a tangible storyline. There are times during the film where we’re shown driving footage or long shots of scenery for minutes on end without anything actually happening with the characters. In that way this is certainly a movie you have to be up for as it may just get on your nerves if you’re not in the right state of mind for it. Also, it goes without saying that misogynists should avoid this one entirely. For all you laid-back feminists out there with a modicum of empathy for the human condition, this one’s for you. Director Ryuichi Hiroki successfully captures the essence of the original novel through the use of intimate camera work and the help of two exquisite actors. Shinobu Terajima is nothing short of a tour de force as Rei and Nao Omori holds his own as always. The folksy soundtrack sets each scene’s mood perfectly and by the end it’s probably every bit as important to the film as the acting performances and cinematography. Vibrator doesn’t try to force any feelings on the audience. In fact, we’re never actually told what originally caused Rei’s problems. Because of this we’re free to either dismiss her as crazy and emotionally check-out about halfway through or continue to care until the end. If you choose the latter this film can really resonate in a meaningful way that’s probably a little bit different for each person.
