Shinji Aoyama's next to focus on Japanese "pan-pan girls"

by Chris MaGee

Shinji Aoyama cemented his place in contemporary Japanese cinema history with his 3.5 hour epic tale of shell shock and loss, "Eureka", but since then his output has been kind of choppy. The now 45-year-old director has released films that critics have liked (Sad Vacation) and ones that they didn't (Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?), but with the report just posted over at Wildgrounds it looks like Aoyama may have another powerhouse film under his belt.

Following in the tradition of films like Seijun Suzuki's "Gate of Flesh" and "Story of a Prostitute" Aoyama is currently working on a film about the "pan-pan girls", or street prostitutes of post-WW2 Tokyo. Tentatively titled "Decadent Sisters" the film will follow the plight of two sisters, Yukiko and Kumiko, daughters of a film producer who in the days immediately following the surrender of Japan to the Allies find themselves forced to turn to prostitution to survive. That's just a nutshell synopsis of "Decadent Sisters" so make sure to follow the link above to get the full details at Wildgrounds.

There are no firm production or release dates for "Decadent Sisters" just yet. The project only just received the Pusan Promotion Plan at the recent South Korean film fest that grants $20,000 towards production. With such evocative imagery as in the photo of pan-pan girls above taken from this remarkable site one can only imagine that Aoyama's film will be just as if not more powerful than his landmark "Eureka".