Hairpin Circus

Have you ever experienced a piece of art that feels like it was made just for you? What about one that you find perfect even though you know for certain that it isn’t? Some pieces of media that fall into this category for me are works like Yu Yu Hakasho by Yoshihiro Togashi, Care For Me by Saba, and Alien by Ridley Scott. Works like these don’t come into contact with me often, but their appearance in my life almost immediately makes an impact. These are creations that became part of my personality after experiencing them. Since I normally go into most media blind, the knowledge whether that experience will bring me that feeling is completely random. That’s why I’m excited to say that I may have hit the lottery and won that feeling after watching a 1972 Japanese film. 

Hairpin Circus by Kiyoshi Nishimura is a film about an ex racing champion indulging his guilty pleasure for speed through street racing with a car gang. The entire film is essentially Japanese street cars racing through a city lit with soft glowing lights backed by a jazzy score to set the mood. Atmosphere is everything in Hairpin Circus, and it does not shy away from that. 

All of the dialogue is kept to a minimum while the acting is on point from everyone involved. Most of the characters’ emotions can be felt through their facial/bodily expressions, but when they are speaking it is done efficiently to communicate exactly what needs to be said. The plot is a real slow burn, but that’s not what we’re here for. I’m certain the screenplay was made like this to give an opportunity for the main attention grab of this film to shine. That shine being the racing

The speed in this movie is captured in a way that we just do not see in modern films. There is no fast editing, crazy drifting, or super dynamic camera angles to exaggerate the speed for the audience to feel. Instead, we get long POV shots from our main characters weaving through the highway traffic of 1970’s japan, the sounds of engines roaring over the mind melting jazz, and the smokes of screeching tires. During the professional racing scenes we feel those cars blast through the tracks, and during the street racing scenes we feel other cars get left in the dust. When it comes to racing in films I’ve seen, there is nothing that feels as raw or authentic as the racing in Hairpin Circus. 

There’s an electricity to this cinematography that kept my attention held from start to finish. The way it’s shot almost feels romantic as we fall in love with the racing. I’m sure this is entirely intentional as our protagonists love racing, even if they know it's wrong, and we’re literally being placed in their positions throughout the drives. The racing is a guilty pleasure to them, but it’s an absolute pleasure for me to experience through the screen. As fantastical as this racing feels, the film is not scared to depict the reality of how one can be punished for indulging in the need for speed.

If the racing is depicted as romantic, then the crashes are heartbreaks. Every moment we spend racing is a moment that could be shattered in a split second. We’re constantly dancing on the line between life and death when moving at these speeds. It really does feel like a representation of love in a way I don’t think I’ve seen before. When we’re racing with our main character it feels like having an affair in his current life with a mixture of a new possible life and his old life. I won’t spoil how that affair ends, but what happens feels earned. 

Ever since I hit the credits for this film I have yet to stop thinking about all the subtleties that exist in it. Not only are these found in the way racing and cars are shown, but they are everywhere in Hairpin Circus. One of my favorite moments in this film is when Shimao is at home after a long day of being a driving instructor. It’s clear that he isn’t happy with his current life even with a beautiful wife and child at home waiting for him everyday. The only time he feels anything in this moment is when he sticks his head out the window for a couple of seconds to listen to the rumbling engines out in the city. Scenes like these make the passion for cars and racing feel incredibly sensual, and this film is filled with these kind of scenes. It's also scenes like this that show how great the screenplay is for allowing the film and the actors ample space to let the emotions and atmosphere breathe.

This is definitely not a film anybody can pick up and love, but I adore Hairpin Circus. If you’re looking to just vibe out with some great visuals and audio then I absolutely recommend getting lost in the atmosphere of this film. I will be watching this over and over again until my eyes and ears no longer function. One or two more rewatches will definitely plant this film into my favorite media list, and it will most likely become part of my soul.