Elisheva
Scotland
This review may contain spoilers
Far too many toxic elements in the story
Spoiler heavy. This could have been so much better. Cinematography and technical aspects were good. The mismatched friendship had promise at the beginning and could have been a good start but only to a completely different story. Ai Di's story could have been great if he'd been allowed to stay away and rebuild a better life.Instead we start with someone barely above the legal age limit but very inexperienced in relationships and an older mafia underling (actors' age gap is 10 years and if the novel made the characters' less it wasn't mentioned in the series) who really should know better. He gives some token resistance on age - enough to show he understands that it is wrong - and then dives in. He doesn't even do that on the risks his criminal family will bring to the kid he repeatedly calls Kiddo.
Add in (fake) amnesia, (not fake) short term memory loss (which they keep saying is temporary but show no signs of that), time jump for prison cause the kid was coerced by the mafia to take the blame for a murder he didn't commit, another young man who gets free from the mafia but is carried back in literally kicking and screaming but it's all fantastic because the man who dicked him around for years finally decided to kiss him.
Seriously? All for an absolute kitchen sink mess of a plot which says EVERYTHING will be forgiven for a first love.
The fandom really will ignore any red flag situation or behaviour if there are cute boys kissing.
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A series worth of feelings
This is a gentle, beautiful story of two high school girls and their feelings for each other. The lead actresses co-wrote and directed it. They're a couple in real life and their connection as friends and life partners shines through. It was lovely to spend some time with these engaging and charismatic characters.The writing on this is very clever. They were able to work a lot into the 38 minutes without it feeling rushed or incomplete. There's more of Mar & Lei's story to tell, but this was enough. Whether Ward and Klio return to these characters or start something new, I hope these talented writers/directors/actors have many more opportunities to share their vision and talent with us.
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This review may contain spoilers
Uplifting
I've seen this three times now. At 32 minutes, it's a beautiful pick-me-up for down days. Every time I see it, I find new interconnections in its meaning. The plot is simple enough but everything else intertwines.This is a small gem with many facets. One of the characters, Kei, is a painter whose home is filled with "her" work (a commenter on youtube credits them to Takuya Sugiyama). They're dynamic and vibrant and make a great setting for this story about creativity, authenticity and belief in oneself. Their confidence is everywhere in the flat. Kei is likewise visually striking, beautiful, stylish and charismatic.
Riko, the other main character, is in contrast to all of this. She is shy, inexperienced and still struggling to find her voice as a writer and, in many ways, who she really is herself.
Together they tell a gentle love story between two women, emphasising how the support of another can help you find confidence in yourself. It's ultimately about taking risks, both in love and art. As befits a story about a visual artist, there's a beautiful, sensuous love scene too, one many directors could learn from.
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Less is so much more
The story for this is rich enough it could easily have been made into a full length film or series.It would have been less if it had. The acting and directing are exquisite. They convey everything they need to tell this story through a look, or a few words. Together, this richness and brevity make for an emotionally powerful story. There is nothing extraneous to dilute its impact.
Cinematography and music complement it well, making the perfect atmosphere.
Cannot recommend this one highly enough. It is quietly, gently, heartbreakingly beautiful.
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Gentle story of friendship and love
This wasn't anything fancy, just a simple and gentle story of friendship and love between a living person and a ghost. They told it very well. It has humour and genuinely touching, beautiful moments. The two leads were perfect for their roles.It was filmed in Onomichi and the last half hour or so conveys a strong sense of place in its own quiet, gentle way.
I was fortunate enough to catch this via the JFF+ Independent Cinema 2023 festival. This ends 31st October so it will likely be over before any finds my comments. It's worth looking for elsewhere and I hope to be able to spend time with it again.
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Deservedly well respected Hong Kong classic, with extra meaning for fans of Thai series
This is the film which means so much to Jim in Moonlight Chicken and by inference to screenwriter/director P'Aof. So not just a great recommendation for a beautiful film but also a way to more fully understand his character's inner life and the significance of the song he used for the opening theme.Comrades doesn't disappoint. It's set in crowded urban environments but much of it is tightly focused, concentrating on two characters at a time. A conversation in a narrow hall at a party, in a car, the McDonald's queue. Its story isn't complex and, like Moonlight Chicken, has few events external to the key relationships. I first wrote that there's more pain in Comrades but that's not true. Moonlight surrounds all of its pain with so much love while Comrades is far lonelier. Its main characters become close because they're all they have in this city.
The film is calm, gentle, and quietly poignant. It takes its time and it's well worth some of ours.
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Wow
This is both a gorgeous pair of love stories and a crime mystery that's so intense it's difficult to watch at times. It goes deep on all the emotions, but it's worth trusting in it and giving it time, attention and patience.The writers, film editors and cast made a complicated plot line harmonize beautifully. I keep trying to talk myself out of writing that it's the best thing I've ever seen, but honestly, I can't think of another. Can't recommend it highly enough.
The site wants 500 words and I have many to go :) So things I really liked about it: great use of the theme music to underscore key emotional moments; that I could feel both Wu Yu's love for Tan Jiao and how she felt being in that love; the secondary characters who had their own growth and change; that as uncomfortable as the lowest lows were I've forgotten about them for the happiness and love; the gentle emotional sensitivity of many scenes.
I've not rewatched it yet but I gave it a high rating because there's plenty of complexity and things to watch out for through all the twists and because I really liked spending time with the four main characters and the music <3
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Spell-binding
This is a story about women.Parents having to deal with and overcome cultural homophobia is at its core, and there's a beautiful romance between men, but these complicated, determined women using whatever resources they can find to negotiate life within the constraints of cultural sexism carry the lakorn. Li is ferociously strong, Jia's knowledge of herbs is magic, Chan is whatever the moment needs, and sometimes that's a touch of comic relief, Bua's strength is in her gentleness, Pin is plucky and resourceful, Cai is always paying attention.
It's melodrama so everything is exaggerated. Settle into its rhythms, it's a wild ride and well worth it.
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Nakak = Masks
This is going to be a bit vague and brief. I haven't figured out how to touch on its themes without diluting its poignancy or giving important things away. If you're considering watching it, just go ahead. It's only two hours and, in my opinion, well worth the time.*This review is also written from the point of view of a western viewer who pays attention but still has much to learn. Some of my sense of disorientation came from the combination of a short series' brevity and it clearly being made for an audience who readily understands context I had to piece in from elsewhere, like SOTUS hazing, or wonder about. None of this was a deal breaker by any means - that sense of old but new-to-me things to learn about is lovely - and everything which needed to came clear in the end.
The beginning is uneven. A 40 year old actor plays a 1st year uni student in flashbacks. His SOTUS seniors look like they have lived. A lot. It skips around so it's not clear if it's a bit of a ghost story or what's really going on.* There's a brief touch of tourism promotion for the Dan Sai district (Loei province, NE Thailand) and a decent amount of education about one of their customs, the masks of its title.
As the series progresses though, it more clearly becomes a moving and poignant short story. I'm not telling you about what. If you want to know, watch :)
Perhaps it is also a love letter to the Dan Sai people. I hope to learn much more about them.
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"Let's be afraid together"
A single event brings four strangers into each other's lives. They're all very different and struggling with their own concerns, which leads to friction as well as understanding.This gentle lakorn takes on serious, heavy issues and wraps them in warmth and kindness. It's about friendship, acceptance and helping each other. It is beautifully done, from the gentle acoustic closing song to the quirky coffee shop with Mackintosh metalwork to the care that's taken with the progression of the characters' growth individually and in their friendships.
The characters feel real and believable, especially the four central ones, along with the issues they face and the changes they make in their lives. All in all, this is one of the most emotionally satisfying series I've seen.
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A quiet call for improvement, compassion and understanding
I have a lot of time for youth drama, especially Japanese films. This one is gorgeous in its simplicity whilst drawing in complexity through quiet touches of the brush, moments which imply more than they state.The situation Sarya is in because of her family's status as refugees and from a people without a nation is both social and political commentary, a quiet call for improvement, compassion and understanding, and metaphor for the struggles of a young person to find her place, not because of her own uncertainty but because she doesn't fit neatly into society's expectations.
If the ending confuses you, look to what is implied. There is sadness, and there is hope.
May we all do better for our young people and for all who need our help.
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Realistic, grounded portrayal of young people and some of their difficulties
The film centres around two high school students, Maki and Akira, who are both a bit lost because parents and find friendship with each other. I didn't understand some of the symbolism decided on by other students but it was easy enough to just go with it. Perhaps it's a Japanese understanding, maybe it's idiosyncratic to the director. Motivations are consistent and clear, even when they're not explained straight away. Maki is acting out because of x, a boy does what he does because of y, Akira is kind.There are many small touches evoking place, like views of the countryside and the beautiful ice cream serving technique of a grandmother. It all feels very real and grounded. This is my favourite film of all the ones I've seen in this autumn's JFF+ Independent Cinema festival. If you like youth drama and film with realistic portrayals of the difficulties young people struggle with as they grow up, this is well worth seeking out. Maki especially is a character I'll remember and I hope to see Nagasawa Itsuki, Nakagawa Tsubasa and some of the others again.
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Not bound by words
There are few words by this and no clear narrative structure. It's a collage of curious things and that makes it difficult to find words to talk about it. The title Bachiranun, never forget, a motif repeated near the end may be our best clue. Perhaps these are things the writer/director/actor wants to remember, both from imagination and real life.The drops into surreal were disorientating so I have no confidence in this assessment. It was all a bit too far a stretch for me and kept me on edge. Others will love it for that. How do the horsehead dancers fit in? Was there significance to the large red pepper-type fruit characters pass to each other? Some of the scenes of dairy farming and fishing/fish processing were difficult for me. The music and elders engaged in traditional making were my favourite parts. In the end, I don't know what to do with this. It is.
Bachiranun deserves a proper review. Hopefully someone will give it one.
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I understand this more after reading about it
This hour long film is a combination of documentary and fiction centered around actual events like the Fukushima tsunami, with Soto Zen Buddhist monks in three of the roles. There were moments I didn't understand, like why monks were walking through muddy land driving sticks into the ground. Reading reviews and interviews helped me make sense of it in retrospect. I don't feel qualified to give it a rating and would prefer not to make such a judgement from one viewing. I gave it a rewatch value of 10 as I think I would gain much from seeing it again, perhaps a few times. But I found its screening on the JFF+ Independent Cinema festival too late to do so.It's an intentionally unpristine view of monks and their struggles. It reflects on questions like whether allergies might come from the damage we've done to the world? What should our mission be in the present? What's needed at this time? An elderly and well respected nun gives her answers to the last two. For her, it is sharing the wisdom of the Buddha. How these practices are relevant to well-being and mental health in particular is shown through the monks' lives and advice on a suicide help line.
These are the articles I found most helpful:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13055417
https://www.sousei.gr.jp/tenzo/en/
https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/reviews-recommendations/tenzo-katsuya-tomita-buddhist-monk-hybrid
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Worth seeking out
An inquisitive, full of life young Thai woman ends up in Japan on her own and not knowing the language. The family at the farm where she'll be living and working for three weeks is warm, kind and welcoming. Two more show up and cause a bit of chaos. There's a fair bit of sightseeing and a lot of food, some out at markets and restaurants but the most memorable are at home amongst this found family.Everything is balanced. Jook's vitality, Mee's calm steadiness; uncle Hattori's mischievous grin, his daughter Naomi's gentleness; difficulties when there isn't a shared language, the ways they find around that. All of the characters are well thought out and portrayed. They're each distinct in personality but fit together well. It's a lovely group of people to spend time with.
It's a quiet series, which might disappoint some. The emotions aren't big or dramatic, they're just very real.
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