Quiet Days of Firemen – 119 (1994)

Directed by: Naoto Takenaka | 115 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Hidekazu Akai, Kyoka Suzuki, Naoto Takenaka, Shinya Tsukamoto, Yôichi Nukumizu, Tadanobu Asano, Ryo Iwamatsu

A nice starting point is often half the battle in film land, since original films are not always easy to find. Some even claim that all stories have already been told, or that there are only three or four basic stories to which all stories can be traced. Of course there are certain principles that many stories (must) adhere to, but there are still new ideas or situations to come up with and the films or directors who make the effort to do this are very welcome. Naoto Takenaka’s ‘Quiet Days of Firemen’ is a film with a funny context – a big plus – which ironically does not manage to captivate enough due to the lack of some dramatic principles. Yet the light-hearted tone, the catchy music, and the original context guarantee quite a few entertaining and sympathetic moments.

‘Quiet Days of Fireman’ presents the viewer with the funny fact of a group of firefighters in a village that has not experienced a fire for years. Yet the men still dutifully practice in front of the barracks every day, in case their services ever need to be called in again. That means being ready next to the car in the correct manner, with protective clothing on, and a fire hose in hand, and getting in or out on the right command. At first glance, this looks like a well-oiled machine, but looking further, these may be less professional firefighters than they seem. For example, in the beginning of the film they are called in to defuse an innocent campfire on a beach, and an employee at the barracks itself forgets to turn off the gas. For a moment it seems that the firefighters are so shy about a fire that they want to start one themselves, which is also jokingly suggested by one of them. In addition to these kinds of dryly comic scenes, the musical intermezzos or the various scenes accompanied by (pop) music are the film’s greatest asset. They are cheerful and sometimes very exuberant songs that brighten up the story and sometimes border on the kitschy, or perhaps even parodying. In any case, it’s funny to be the woman who is the romantic object in the film with a wide smile and to be riding her bicycle in slow-motion, or to see and hear a song for the only lady present on a ship full of rutting firefighters. to sing.

In any case, ‘Quiet Days of Firemen’ is a sympathetic film. Even the tentative rivalry between Ishii and Tsuda, who are both fond of the graceful biologist, doesn’t cause any confrontations or much tension. You would expect the men to try to blacken each other a bit in the fight for the lady’s favors. But none of that. They still speak remarkably respectfully and lovingly about each other. This lack of struggle may be sympathetic, but it also ensures that an important condition for effective drama, namely conflict, remains absent. This takes the tension off the story, especially when the lady turns out to be quite passive and doesn’t respond to the advances of the men. The potential love is therefore not really consumed. But perhaps this is not the director’s intention. Perhaps her presence is merely meant to spice up the relationship between Tsuda and Ishii and bring some life to the brewery. The film succeeds reasonably well in this, although the humor bordering on slapstick is not always successful and quite predictable. Still, as said, there is still quite a lot to enjoy about the film because of the cheerful tone and the nice music.