Movie Reviews for Writers: Tatami
If you haven’t watched the anthology series of Asian horror folklore on HBO Max (or on Hulu) called Folklore, you really should. It’s a fun diversion from American serial killers and gothic ghost and monster stories.
Be warned: this review lives smack dab in the middle of Spoilerville.
Episode #2, “Tatami,” explores the family history of a deaf/mute writer named Makoto who is obsessing over a story in which a crime scene (or at least what appears to be — we’re not shown definitely, which adds to the creepiness) is a key element. He spends the night in the location and is struggling with his story about the way some tatami mats seem to hold onto the emotional trauma and not just the happiness that was experienced upon them. (Sort of like the idea of haunted items or the house in The Grudge). He returns home when he learns that his father has died, and then his life falls about when he discovers the family secret that makes a lie of his entire life.
But enough about the plot.
As usual for these reviews I want to talk about what this has to say about writers and the writing life.
There’s a scene while Makoto is struggling to get past his open few sentences, and he requests additional time for his story. His editor asks him why he is struggling so much with this particular story. After all, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The readers won’t care. Why obsess over it so? Makoto is unable to reply. He doesn’t really know why himself. It’s just a feeling he can’t get past. When he returns to writing during the night, he continues to struggle and ultimately changes his primary question from “Why do we obsess…” to “Why do I obsess…”
For Makoto, this is a telling change.
But it’s a good question. Why do we as writers obsess about some stories to the point of becoming almost locked down when other stories flow so freely? Why do some stories become so critically important to us that we must micro-edit and over-critique them and still never really be happy?
Read more:
https://seanhtaylor.blogspot.com/2021/04/movie-reviews-for-writers-tatami.html
