Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer divulges the life stories of Japanese artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara. It focuses on the pair’s onerous journey toward prominence in the art world, as well as representing the consequences of the lives they chose. While the approaches to art differ, it is clear that the thing they have in common is passion. Cutie and the Boxer provides a window to see how another culture has impacted the art world. At its core, however, the documentary exemplifies a classic story; two immigrants moving to America in hopes of a better life.
New York City sets the stage as now elderly Ushio and Noriko Shinohara reside in a dingy apartment. We are introduced to the more well-known Ushio Shinohara, who is creating an art piece in the hopes of selling it in an upcoming exhibition. His unique style of painting presents an exciting twist. Ushio puts on boxing gloves and punches paint onto the canvas from right to left. We learn that innovative styles such as action painting and his sculpture made Ushio among the best of the Japanese avant-garde. Since leaving Japan, he has found moderate success, having work shown in museums such as the MoMA and publications such as Art in America.
Energy and passion are very important to Ushio’s work. Instead of using a brush for calculated movement, he punches paint onto the canvas to fly freely where it will. He names an exhibition “ROAR!” because that is how he views his art. Loud and full of energy. He says “Art is a demon that drags you along. It’s not something that you can stop even if you should.” His desire to portray things as explosive and in-your-face makes his works much more riveting. However, having an unconventional style meant that often Ushio’s work went underappreciated. The Shinoharas experienced fame, but this did not translate to a lot of money.
The relationship between the two is very loving, but their poverty undeniably puts a strain on it. Even within the first few minutes, we see signs of unease between the two. They are constantly bickering, which seems to be consistent throughout their 40-year marriage. A fact that led to the creation of Cutie, a cartoon character created by Noriko. Cutie is representative of Noriko herself and is accompanied by her husband “Bullie” who represents Ushio. Noriko uses Cutie as a type of catharsis, a creative outlet to express frustration about her husband and her life in a new country.
Cutie reveals nearly everything about the couple’s past. From the first moment a 19-year-old Noriko met middle-aged Ushio, to the Ushio’s crippling alcoholism that nearly tore their family apart. The highs of being featured in galleries, and the lows of becoming poor and questioning pursuing art. Through all the good and bad though, the art demon drags the couple along and they continue to move forward.
Perhaps this documentary has two boxers to offer because even in her old age, Noriko has to fight to prove that she is an artist. Getting pregnant with her son forced Noriko to temporarily give up her art. This combined with the fact that she often forgoes her work to help assist Ushio, leads him to view his wife as an assistant and “the average one.” Throughout the documentary we see Noriko making creative efforts, completely independent of her husband. She even goes out of her way to provide her best work to an exhibitor interested in Ushio’s work. Noriko, though, comes out of this fight a winner as she is included in her husband’s art exhibit. Going so far as to alter the title according to her artistic vision. She is self-empowered and confident and uncompromising. You love to see it.
The final exhibition featuring both Ushio and Noriko perfectly shows two sides of the same coin. Ushio expresses passion in his work with the energy that he pours in, while Noriko does the same but with compassion and love. Throughout the documentary, we get to see how “love is a roar.”
Overall, I would highly recommend watching this documentary. Because of the themes and execution, Cutie and the Boxer would make an interesting watch even for those with no prior interest in art. It provides a very sincere look at the lives of these two artists, never shying away from the negative aspects of their lives. One of the most beautiful things about the documentary is that it shows how the Shinohara’s immigrant story was wrapped up in their art. As well as displaying how these artists were able to manifest the American dream for themselves through art.
