And So The Baton Is Passed Review
And so the Baton is Passed, with more twists and turns than first impressions would suggest, is a surprisingly heartfelt tale of parenthood and growth, even if it might be open to question whether that heart is in precisely the right place.
The story primarily follows four central characters: Miitan (Kurumi Inagaki), Rika (Satomi Ishihara), Yuko (Mei Nagano) and Morimiya (Kei Tanaka). Miitan is a tearful young girl who grew up without a mother until her father remarries. His new wife, Rika is a colourful and dramatic woman, who develops a deep affection and attachment to Miitan despite her lack of parenting ability which becomes more and more obvious after her new husband leaves for Brazil to pursue his lifelong dream. Yuko, a socially strained, if outwardly cheerful teenage girl, is the stepdaughter of Morimiya, a salaryman who shrinks from confrontation but does everything in his power to dote on and support his daughter, sometimes to her chagrin. The stories of Miitan and Rika and of Yuko and Morimiya are mostly told separately, but as Miitan and Yuko mature, and more is revealed, their parallels become clear.
The script for And so the Baton is Passed, adapted from a prize winning novel of the same name, is adept in its pacing and has a fair share of twists and surprises. Its big reveal which lands from about the halfway point, is particularly striking in how successfully it is, in effect, hidden in plain sight. From here, the plot moves along at a satisfying clip, bringing Yuko and Rika’s stories in particular full circle, and leaving viewers with a sense of levity and emotional satisfaction.
The story is not straightforwardly cheery, and does include some rather melancholy moments, but in sum it projects a warmer, positive ambiance. The film is shot in a way which enhances its overall light-hearted tone, with director Tetsu Maeda preferring a brightly lit, clean cinematography which serves the overall production well. The work of the cast at large, as well, does well to bring home the emotional resonance of And so the Baton is Passed, and though it cannot be said that any actor gives a particularly notable performance, on the whole the acting is certainly no weakness for the film.
What is open to question, however, are the story choices made about one of the key characters, Rika, accepting of course that this is an adapted screenplay. Depending on one’s sensibilities, the actions of this woman who takes on sole parental responsibility for a pre-teen girl could be taken as inherently selfish and detestable even despite her reasons which become clear later on. Whilst this could have made for an interesting moral and character study in another project, And so the Baton is Passed is quite unambiguous in its positioning of Rika and what it wants its audience to think about her. This may be incredibly jarring for some viewers and may spoil the experience.
And so the Baton is Passed is cleverly scripted, and can be pleasant viewing for those after a lightweight family drama. Though it might go too far to defend some behaviour, it can still be enjoyed by those willing to accept those flaws.
And so the Baton is Passed is playing as part of the Japanese Film Festival 2022 in Australia. Check out the full program and book tickets here.
