Promise of August is one of Katsuhito Ishii's most well-known shorts, filmed just three years before his debut Sharkskin Man and Peach Hip Girl. And honestly out of the two feature length movies (Sharkskin & Taste of Tea) that I've seen so far this one is my favourite of his.
Promise of August follows the group of three college girls travelling somewhere rural in the quest for a bag of weed. It's very nonsensical and Katsuhito Ishii doesn't shy away from the nonsensical nature of the story.
On the way to find their treasured weed the girls stumble upon a suicidal man who decides to help them.... I'm not gonna spoil more since it's a very short film but it's worth watching it!
In this movie you see all of Katsuhito Ishii's styles in a more condensed and effective manner. I know he is mostly known for his pensive and quirky style but I feel that in such a short story you get even more engaged, which... to be honest I've found it a little bit hard to do with the films I've seen before so I'm happy that I can see a version of his filming that is more effective and to the point! Even the comedy is funny in some points as well.
His style is super fun and always gorgeous to watch, a true sense of aesthetics!
If there's something that I'd say that I don't like about the movie is the portrayal of the suicidal man, he's portrayed as this pervy incel who uses sex to make others feel sorry for him. I think that (and I hope that) Katsuhito Ishii made this character as a way to make fun of these type of guys so in that way I understand.
All in all this short film was a lovely surprise! It's not the best I've seen but it certainly deserves a watch. This was included in the Katsuhito Ishii collection that is a fantastic collection that was issued by Third Window so I'm not sure about the availability of this short film otherwise!
