Overview
The lives of artists are endlessly fascinating, with all their qualms and quirks. Just as Ushio and Noriko are to one another the yin and the yang, Zachary Heinzerling’s poetic portrait of this adorable artistic couple strikes just the right balance – it’s entertaining yet insightful, intimate yet unobtrusive and sweet without being sentimental.
Cutie and the Boxer is an intimate fly on the wall documentary that examines the life and work of Japanese artists Ushio and Norkio Shinohara. Touted as ‘Japan’s answer to pop art’ Ushio moved to New York in the late 1960s where he achieved recognition for his bold work, but little commercial success. However that hasn’t deterred Ushio from continuing to create his fantastical motorbike sculptures made of found objects and boxing paintings, which literally involve punching the canvas with boxing gloves doused in paint. At the tender age of 19 Noriko moved to New York, dreaming of becoming an artist herself before meeting and falling in love with the difficult but charismatic (and much older) Ushio.
The film opens at Ushio’s 80th birthday. He’s an incredibly agile 80 year-old but he relies on Noriko to help him with his work, as well as all the other aspects of life. Though it seems at first the focus will be Ushio, slowly the camera turns to the humble but strong Noriko moves. While Ushio is a powerhouse of creativity, full of bams and pows, Noriko works away quietly in her studio on a narrative sequence of ink illustrations based on her life with Ushio. An animated sequence of these drawings adds a delicate touch, painting a telling picture of Noriko and the couple’s relationship.
Tinged with sadness, but sprinkled with a glimmering of hope Cutie and the Boxer is clearly one for art lovers, but is easily accessible for any viewer. If you do go, make sure you stay for the credit sequence.