Dr Nakamats is the world’s most prolific inventor with over 3000 patents to Edison’s mere 1000+. You learn this within 2 minutes of the film starting because Dr Nakamats makes sure you know. There are lots of things Dr Nakamats wants you to know and this is the basis for the majority of this wonderfully quirky portrait.
Inventor of the floppy disk, CD, DVD, Cinemascope and even karaoke, Nakamats is an octogenarian who still very much feels he’s in his prime. A slightly formidable character, he takes control of the film and it plays largely like a corporate video. Many scenes appear engineered for our benefit, from Nakamats wrestling, and beating, a much younger man and proceeding to tell the camera he’s also beaten 10 other men previously.
Nakamats refers to himself in the third person and addresses the camera at all times, as much as he constantly heralds his own achievements he is so endearing and genuine that you never tire of his persistent presentation of his designs.
As impressive as his multitude of inventions are it is his theories on life that are the most wonderful parts of his character. Nakamats eats only one meal a day, believing every meal aids the aging process. He has also photographed every meal he’s eaten for the last 34 years. Rather than stop each scene when we hear of these particular theories director Kaspar Astrup Schröder allows Nakamats to proceed and we are taken down different tangents, in this case learning of his love of cameras and a further theory as to how to know whether a camera is good or not, by smelling it.
Nakamats also has many tips as to how to fuel the creative process in order to come up with ideas for inventions. He believes that too much oxygen is bad for the brain and that 0.5 seconds prior to death the brain is functioning at its highest level. To attempt to achieve this Nakamats swims underwater whilst holding, another of his inventions, a waterproof notepad and pencil to collect his ideas as soon as they come to him.
The Invention of Dr Nakamats is an incredibly fun film to watch, what could easily have been a tongue in cheek joke on Nakamats’ peculiarities is actually quite a respectful bias-free portrait. And while you can’t imagine you could have a lot of control with what happened on camera Kaspar Astrup Schröder skilfully gets around this by using the build-up to Nakamats’ 80th birthday as an arc running throughout the film which allows us to see the eccentric director separately to his direct to camera addresses.
Other aspects that make this film a must-see are the absolutely stunning opening and title sequences by Rob Chiu (which you can see here) and the incredibly fun and engrossing score by Silas Hite and Mark Motherbaugh.
I wish there were more documentaries like this, with such wonderful attention to detail and balance between showing humour and respect for a fascinating and eccentric character. I urge you to check out the trailer after the jump.
The Invention of Dr Nakamats is showing at HotDocs on Sat, May 01 at 4:15 pm and Wed, May 05 at 1:45 pm, with Arsy-Versy (which is also well worth seeing) and has been picked up for distribution by Mercury Media in the UK and Cinetic in the US.
hmmm. i thought Nakamats was rather dull, as did the two other i went with. as you point out, more than anything it is a catalogue of eccentricities, but the film form does nothing to accentuate this or make it interesting. Nakamats himself, while a potentially interesting character full of odd beliefs, is sold short in this exceptionally banal construction of the film; further, his selling himself at nearly every moment wears very thin very quickly.
I’d imagine the film would have been more interesting had it taken Nakamats on a bit, especially in his ageing philosophy, the most pronounced narrative thread, had it questioned him a bit on how his seeming frailness was going to carry him through the 60-or-so more years he expected to live. as you don’t mention, his wrestling partner clearly threw the match, this aspect – the wrestler, his kids, the occasional groupie – were all utterly subservient to his (often absurd) desires. only in dealing with the hotel folks do we witness any resistance to his wishes – this also would have been an interesting angle to explore.
while the titlework was neat-looking, it too went on too long. an odd statement, i know, but i actually thought this while watching the credits. it was almost as if the titles came before the film, and they were just looking for a film to showcase the titles.
this should have been a short film.
an aside of sorts, i don’t remember the film noting he invented the “CD, DVD, Cinemascope and even karaoke”
I can see what you mean, and I think it’s often the case with films like this. The deadpan nature of it is something you’ll either respond to, or it’ll come across as quite dull but I particularly liked that they didn’t accentuate his eccentricities. I really loved it, especially as a lot of other filmmakers would’ve gone to town with his wacky nature and I really enjoyed that they didn’t and left it up to you to determine how much of what he presents to you is real.
I guess essentially what I liked about it is exactly what you didn’t. I’m glad they didn’t challenge him on points. They made subtle nods, for example after him declaring he only sleeps 4 hours a day seeing him asleep in his car. It was the subtly that I enjoyed. I don’t know, I think there are a lot of ‘look at this wacky guy’-style documentaries that the tone of this came as a welcome relief and the humour was allowed to develop on its own.
yeah, i don’t know that i’d _really_ advocate for following these other tangents, but i don’t think this needed to be a movie, either. i think a short would have been much more appropriate. as far as this danish deadpan style goes, i guess i’m not a huge fan, but something like Mr. Vig and the Nun does a much better job at being minimally observational, and deadpan, while also suggesting more interesting/universal themes.
Mr Vig and the Nun is very different though. It does it really well I agree but for other reasons. I don’t think this needed to suggest more universal themes, it’s a very focused portrait. At the beginning I thought they were going to use his theories as a way of commenting on, or further exploring his obsession with long life, fear of death etc and I loved that this didn’t happen and was left open.
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Anyone with half a brain can see that 90% of it was pure bluster.
I mean cmon the cab powered by water was nothing more than a string of batteries hung together with a bit of ionization powered by salt and water or solar – mounted on the front of the bike – i laughed so hard i messed my pontaloons – not much for health and safety the japs then! note the bicycle hardly moved without someone pedalling it – no wonder the two guys who were looking to buy scuttled off very quickly after a trial run.
What a vain and arrogant little man!
I feel sorry for his poor wife what a sad little man to have to kow-tow to.
Japan has the unfortunate bowing and scraping attitude which is so demeaning. I mean asking a hotel to name a room after you cmon get real.
Nobody challenges the guy they all just kiss butt – what a cop out.
I would assume everything was directed by the man himself and the filmers had no option but to do what they were told all in all giving the whole thing a total air of self promotion.
The real hustle i dont think!
A realy arrogant and selfish brain, I can invent anything with time and a huge wally…
He want´s to live forever, to remain self-referential…
3000 patents, 95% useless
4.9% trush…
and 0.099 craap
and yes…. 0.001 useful..
How Gary Gammell said, What a vain and arrogant little man!
A water energy 10.000.000 yens… made me laugh out loud…
Dr. NakaMats
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Sincerely
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