Kitano, because of significant criticism for the repeating themes in his works, determined to make a movie in a whole different level, without the reigning violence of his other works. Thus came Dolls, a motion picture based on the writings of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, a dramatist of Joruri, which is a form of puppet theater, who is widely accepted as the greatest Japanese dramatist.
Dolls consists of three dramatic love stories: Matsumoto and Sawago are getting ready to marry, however the pressure of his obligations drives Matsumoto to make a tragic choice. Hiro is presently a Yakuza boss (Kitano could not leave his favorite subject off), but thirty years before, he was simply a poor farmer in love with his girlfriend. She used to bring his lunch at a park every Saturday, the same park that he now decides to return to. Haruna is young pop star, idolized by her fans though unhappy, due to an accident that ruined her face. She curently spends her time watching the ocean, while Nikui, most likely her most dedicated fan cannot tolerate watching her being disfigured.
Kitano presents three stories bordering on the boundaries of despair, all of which have a tragic ending. His characters, in an
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When Kitano informed the producers that he would only be available for a specific amount of time, due to his heavy TV schedule, and that he intended on doing only one rehearsal and one take, Fukasaku refused to work under these conditions and presented a “Him or Me” dilemma, to the producers. The initial response was to drop the project altogether, until Kitano proposed to also direct the movie, something the producers accepted. Subsequently, Kitano went on revising the whole script, transforming it from a comedy to a dark, violent police