by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $7.99
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Saki Yuikawa, Haruka Aikawa, Syoya Kimata
Intro:
Maybe, maybe, if you can roll with the tonal sluggers and the tacit endorsement of the toxic behaviour being exhibited, this could be a decent Bad Movie Night pick.
Adapted from the novel of the same name written by former J-Pop idol Kazumi Takayama of Nogizaka46, Trapezium is a coming-of-age story framed by the formation of a female idol group. From their first meeting to the initial flashes of notoriety, to later fame and then inevitable ugly break-up, Yûko Kakihara’s screenplay lives up to that kind of lived-in experience, weighing up whether getting closer to the stars is worth getting scorched.
It’s a suitably sturdy foundation for a good cover of a classic tune… that is marred by tone-deafness the likes of which would make Florence Foster Jenkins blush.
Even before getting into the dud notes, the presentation isn’t all that exciting either. Coming from studio CloverWorks, who have been on a hot streak between Spy X Family and the Rascal Does Not Dream series, even being serviceable here feels like a step-backwards. Or, during a concert scene that keeps jolting between 2D close-ups and 3DCG dance animations, quite a few backward steps. It doesn’t help that the music, in this film about aspiring musicians, is pretty bland, even by J-Pop standards.
Where this film gets really dicey is down to a singular factor: The main character Yū Azuma. She’s like if Mia Goth as Pearl was the lead in BoyTown (remember that 2006 classic? No… it’s better that way); this dark, twisted, manipulative and obsessive figure fit for a psycho-thriller, plopped in the middle of teen pop shenanigans. Right from the in-media res opening, her need to become a pop idol consumes every moment of (potentially) normal social interaction, to the point of undiagnosed personality disorder, and the almighty boom that rings through every scene where these tones clash (that is to say every scene) is almost maddening.
But hey; main characters don’t need to be perfect, or even likeable in the traditional sense. Coming-of-age stories thrive on young people screwing up and learning from those screw-ups. Except, this film doesn’t seem to realise just how much Azuma should be learning. It runs into the same problem as Dear Evan Hansen, where the murky subject matter that could have thrived with appropriate handling is suffocated by a toxic attempt at wholesome positivity, bending over backwards to excuse what’s going on just because the person doing it feels kind of bad about it… and even that appears to be optional. The extent of the Death Note-lite machinations that Azuma engages in, not to mention the trauma inflicted in the process, is just hand-waved away to such an extent that she gets apologised to during the wrap-up. It’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so aggravating.
Imagine if Black Swan ended with everyone living happily ever after, and you’ll have some idea of how mishandled Trapezium is. It has the makings of a compelling look at the dangerous allure of idol stardom, but because it’s so devoted to being sweetness and light, it just feels like eating a whole popcorn bucket full of aspartame. Maybe, maybe, if you can roll with the tonal sluggers and the tacit endorsement of the toxic behaviour being exhibited, this could be a decent Bad Movie Night pick.
