At a time when it is not even sure that a Japanese character in an American film will actually be played by a Japanese actor, Rinko Kikuchi's powerful presence in Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's Babel is all the more remarkable. The praise heaped upon her has so far brought her all the way to the Golden Globes and, at the time of this writing, may yet push her further up the red-carpeted road to award glory.Kikuchi herself, however, remains remarkably cool and level-headed about it all. Blessed - or cursed, as far as much of the Japanese film industry is concerned - with a strong will and personality, this Cassevetes fan seems quite at home in the margins, where great filmmaking still outweighs commerce and glamour.After debuting under her real name Yuriko Kikuchi with the venerable Kaneto Shindo in 1999's Will to Live (Ikitai), she took her first steps on the international scene with her lead role in Kazuyoshi Kumakiri's Hole in the Sky (Sora no Ana). That film won a special mention at...
