• Release year: 2024
• Director: Yôko Yamanaka.
• Producers: Keisuke Konishi, Shinji Ogawa, Masafumi Yamada, and Yokushi Suzuki.
• Screenplay by: Yôko Yamanaka.
• Cinematography by: Shin Yonekura.
• Music by: Takuma Watanabe.

Shotgun Commentary: a harsh but welcomed invitation to introspection.

Review

Desert of Namibia (original title: Namibia no sabaku) is an ode to everyone who has ever felt disillusioned by life. At one point or another, most people feel the need to ask themselves, “what is it all for?”. Many of us might not like the answer.

Due to this ever-looming question, some people go through a phase of detachment. Nothing around them interests them in the least. The good news is, once you’ve identified all the things that add nothing to your life, you are in the perfect position to make changes. Will the protagonist do so?

Comfortably numb

Kana (Yumi Kawai) is a 21-years-old woman who works at a beauty parlour. Her job brings her no joy, nor any other emotion for that matter. She meets with friends that bore her, lives with a boyfriend that could not be any more irrelevant to her, and cheats on him with a guy that barely shows any interest in her.

Overall, her behaviour is destructive for herself and everyone around her, whether they are able to recognise it or not. Does this make her a villain? Not really, it merely makes her a human being in a rough situation who is surrounded by people more interested in what they can get from her than in her as a person.

Every part of her life is relevant to who she is, which speaks volumes of the writer’s talent. The character creation is absolutely flawless in every person that shows up in the film, but especially in the protagonist. She is one of the most complex, realistic women ever depicted in cinema.

No heros, no villains

The intricate simplicity of her situation is a mystery that unravels slowly. As you learn more from her, you understand her reactions better. Actions that might seem off or exaggerated are not so when you fully understand the implications of those moments for her, and that is nothing if not a masterclass in character creation and development.

Still, understandable doesn’t mean morally correct, and her relationships are proof of that. However, just as it happens in real life, there is no perfect partner and a villain, but rather two people trying their best and figuring out if that’s enough. Much like in all other aspects of her life, Kana has no interest in her relationship with Honda (Kanichiro).

They live together, he cooks and pays rent, but she is very clearly not invested in their relationship. So much so that she has an ongoing affair with Hayashi (Daichi Kaneko). Now, Kana’s actions are very obviously wrong, but it is also interesting to think about Honda’s point of view and behaviour.

This is yet another display of gorgeous storytelling, where you see the all-too-common “perfect man” who is incapable of standing his ground. A man that ultimately shows no principles or shame whatsoever and assumes his partner will just forgive anything for the sake of it. Both Honda and Hayashi are complicated men that could simply be described as manchilds, but showcase just enough depth to move away from the average cliché that encompasses that term.

The diagnosis dilemma

Lastly, there is a fascinating exploration of mental health, especially during the second part of the feature. This examination provides the final pieces into Kana’s mindset, as well as some interesting insight into Japan’s approach to mental health.

Every woman who has ever stepped in more than one doctor’s office has very likely experienced being severely dismissed and patronised. This is an infuriating reality women have put up with for ages due to the shocking lack of studies and investigations made into women’s health. It is funny how women are considered different enough from men when it comes to ruling over our bodies and not theirs, yet when it comes to actually investigating our health, there is an overwhelming lack of data, implying in most cases that we are essentially the same, so why bother.

Human vs means to an end

This situation makes the second part of Desert of Namibia hilarious and enraging at the same time. The fact that the mental health “professional” from a presumably top institution says things like “If you’ve quit your job, a proper diagnosis won’t mean anything to you now” not only implies that she is too dumb to understand whatever her condition is, but also that it is irrelevant if she feels horrible, as long as she doesn’t deteriorate the workforce of her place of work.

This way of seeing women, like mere brainless tools, is expanded throughout the film in all male characters. However, when Kana visits another mental health professional, a woman this time, things don’t go too well either. Sentences like “we are free to think however we want as long as we keep it to ourselves” are very telling of how women are also programmed to think of themselves in the same way men think about them. Yet another sad reality that is exposed in this narrative.

All in all, Desert of Namibia is a multi-layered narrative that invites you to think about your attitude towards life as well as the company you choose to keep and the injustices to choose to perpetuate, knowingly or unknowingly. The story screams talent in all its facets and, while you won’t come out with a smile from this one, you will certainly feel it was your time’s worth.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t stay with a person just because they are safe. It’s not fair for you nor for them.
• People are always more than they seem in the surface.
• Some relationships are not meant to work, and that’s OK.

For all of you in the UK, this film will be screened in the 2025 Mint Chinese Film Festival as part of their Competition: Asian Sparks.

Further info

Desert of Namibia screening: 22nd February (Saturday), 14:55 at Keswick Alhambra Cinema.

Venue address: 36 St John’s St, Keswick. CA12 5AG, UK.

Festival Pass and tickets: find them right here!

See you there!

What’s your take? Have you watched Desert of Namibia? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀