Pick it up and Throw It Away (2019) by Takashi Ono Film Review

“Pick It Up and Throw It Away” is a mid length work by Takashi Ono, created during his studies at the Film Department of Nihon University under the banner of Kabu Kenkyukai. The movie screened at Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa as part of the New Film Directors Special vol.5 “Takashi Ono Special,” together with his “Yawarakai Kisetsu.” Buy This Titleon Terracotta by clicking on the image below Hiroko Hoshi, an office worker frequently harassed by her boss, has an almost pathological obsession with picking up trash. One day she encounters TOKYO SOYLENT GREEN, a volunteer organization that cleans parks ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, and she joins their activities. Before long, she is drawn into a conflict between a delinquent group that vandalizes the park and her newfound comrades. In the midst of this confrontation, she awakens to her true nature as a trash picking human, while also facing the new leader of the adversary group, Joe the Ace, who initially appears as someone entirely different. Inevitably, violence ensues, although its roots are not exactly where one might expect. The notions of pollution, the pressure to follow the nominal path of good university, good job, good family, and the pursuit of pleasure through personal freedom form the contextual core of the narrative. At the same time, the work is largely characterized by a blend of hilarity and absurdism. The battle of the sexes that unfolds between Joe and Hiroko becomes the point where these themes converge, while a pointed comment also emerges regarding how activists and terrorists can at times employ strikingly similar tactics. The arc in which Hiroko is hospitalized adds another layer to the story and essentially marks the transition toward a more overtly exploitative tone, an approach that intensifies as the story progresses. The production is evidently low budget, a fact reflected in most technical aspects. Nevertheless, Ono occasionally appears to use these limitations to his advantage in order to enhance the humor, particularly through the editing, which often leans into the absurd. Furthermore, considering the variety of settings the story encompasses, including the almost obligatory beach sequence toward the end, the overall effort feels surprisingly ambitious, a quality that ultimately works in its favor. Maiko Mineo, as Hiroko, delivers a compelling performance, capturing a character who constantly hovers between quirky eccentricity and outright psychopathy with notable gusto. Although somewhat amateurish, especially on a technical level, the ideas presented and the absurdity of their execution result in a work that proves genuinely entertaining, at times even embracing a so bad it is good charm. Tags:Maiko MineoPick It Up and Throw It AwayTakashi Ono