‘Tokyo Nights,’ Has Nothing To Offer
Writing romance and sex is harder than most people assume. It requires a careful hand, properly defined characters, and a strong build-up to make the resulting climax feel cathartic and meaningful. Sex has been used as a means to explore deeper themes and ideas, build and rebuild relationships, and provide detailed commentary on an individual’s psyche. Films like Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers or Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También have antagonistic love triangles explored and ultimately bridged through sex. But both these films have other aspects going for them, specifically in the character and filmmaking departments. Tokyo Nights has none of these things. In fact, it has nothing at all.
Written and directed by Joey Cruz Manalang and produced by Vivamax, this Philippine romance/erotica follows newlyweds Kara, played by Alessandra Cruz, and Max, played by Benz Sangalang, as they enjoy their honeymoon in Japan. Things become spicy when the couple meet Kara’s ex-boyfriend Kenji, as well as his girlfriend Tanya, played by Arneth Watanabe.
To give this film any grace, it’s clear that it was likely made on a small budget; it only boasts a few actors and locations. But even with such limited tools, it should not be too difficult to make a short, harmless story of complicated romance and love triangles that runs at around half an hour minimum. Unfortunately, this film is over an hour long, which is frankly unacceptable. From the film’s opening, it employs what seems to be a documentary-style of filmmaking with handheld camera shots and character interviews. Great things can be done with this style, but it is never taken advantage of in this film.
The content of the film is two-thirds sex montages and one-third Japan tourist advert. Every time two characters are together, they have to have sex. One scene of sex in a shower is followed by yet another in a swimming pool. This is then intercut with scenes where the characters are interviewed to give their perspective on love, with the occasional shot of Tokyo. That is the entire film. There are scenes with dialogue, but it’s all hollow, obvious, and generic. The script feels like a first draft with zero sense of structure, character development, or central thesis.
Perhaps the constant sex would have been at least tolerable if it were done in an interesting way, but every single instance is the same. Each scene is primarily comprised of mid-shots with the occasional close-up at a hollow attempt at intimacy. Sounds of intimacy are drowned out in favor of the same generic piece of music, and the film cuts often, leading to no sense of continuity or escalating passion. It is montage after montage.
Even all this could be bearable if the characters themselves were at the very least interesting, but all are just as bland and basic as the script. The only character that approaches some form of complexity is Kenji, who wrestles with his feelings for Kara and his current girlfriend. It, of course, doesn’t help that for some reason, the moment Kenji is introduced, Kara is fully willing to ditch her husband in favor of having sex with Kenji. When Tanya finds him, he gives perhaps the one decent moment of acting, breaking down in her arms. However, the drama fails to land since both Kara and Max are present and naked. None of these personality traits are explored; all serve the purpose of moving the plot from one sex scene to the next without any thought to how human beings would realistically react. The dialogue between characters is basic, obvious, and purely expository. It is also because of this basic script that none of the actors can really show any ability. Everyone is stilted and one-dimensional in their performances.
The ending tries to present the idea that Kara and Max have found a new understanding in their relationship, which is completely hollow because there has been nothing of substance up until that point. Ultimately, this film is hard to write about because there is honestly nothing to it. There’s no substance, no interesting filmmaking, just sex and some nice shots of Tokyo. Maybe as a cheap short film, it could have been passable. But as a near-feature-length product, it is too long with too little to keep anyone entertained. Do not waste your time with this.