The start was more on the comedy side, with a fun spin on the "cartoon" bentos. The idea was entertaining, with the daughter - mother relationship being communicated via the lunch boxes. The addition of the cute side story was nice too.
The second part of the movie was more on the sad side, with the relationship going through the rocks and the twist towards the end. The performances were pretty good in that part too. Also, it was interesting that they concluded the stories in the end as well, even the side ones.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
It's the small things that will fill your heart
It's the sum of all parts that makes this movie enjoyable. Just like a Bento, you should judge it on how each small parts make the entire meal enjoyable.This movie began, to be honest I didn't feel like it was going to be very good. Thankfully the movie shifts gears about 40 mins in and after that point it becomes a really watchable movie. After we are introduced to Kaori and Futaba, you kind of feel like the acting isn't really strong. It feels a little too slapstick or really daytime drama amateurish. Futaba was a hard sell for me to begin with. But as the movie progressed she began showing layers in her character. Kaori also was the same. I didn't quite know what Kaori's feelings were. They made sense on paper but I didn't get that till after that gear change.
The movie felt like it didn't know what genre it was trying to be at first. There was also internal monologuing that threw off the movie's tempo. Because the movie shifted points of views in the first half between the two leads but it wasn't consistent with presentation. It made sense why they did it that way story wise but it made the flow awkward in my opinion.
One beautiful aspect about this movie is it's color palette. It's a very bright cheerful movie with tons of character. Everything from clothing choices to the house with a face, it was very vibrant. The Bento's being the focus helped bring out a lot of fun. The little animations that came with the Bento's and the explanations were very cute. Seeing Futaba's emotions over time really set you up for those final Bento reveals.
I really loved how they ended the movie on a letter calling back to their childhood. Their relationship was fraught with miscommunication and distance but it wasn't lost. Communication is a strong topic in Japanese movies I find because their society is so bad at trying to express themselves to each other through words. That's what's really endearing about this movie. There's a beauty in understanding each other through only food.
Wakaba was also a secret Ace in this movie. She provided so much background support to her family. My heart went out to her when she told Kaori she didn't know how to handle Futaba's crying. I liked how she was so mature and understanding.
I don't know what the point of the single father storyline was. I'm going to guess it was supposed to be emotional support but it was executed poorly. It looks like they tried to provide some sort of mirror to Kaori so she could see where she went wrong? Like I don't know, it was very unclear.
I also feel like it fell off a steep cliffs after a certain point in the movie. There is a special after credit scene finishing up the story but it was too late. Completely forgot about him by the end.
The soundtrack was fun and engaging. When those violins needed to come in to hit that vibe, they did so. The ending theme was bright and cheerful.
General cinematography was fine. But there were some baffling scene cuts. Like at one point it randomly cut to a loom. Sometimes people talking would trail off into oddly placed scenes. There were some nice scenic shots being part of a Island setting.
Overall good movie though!Lots of micro tears for me. This one will definately hit harder depending on how you view your relationship with your parents.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interested to watch this from YT clip. Turned out quite funny, but not as funny as I thought it will be. And you can say quite meaningful.Teenage years the rebelion phase. Very funny how the mother get 'revenge' by her own 'rebelion way'. Given her daughter lesson while still show the mother love is just something mother do... And the bento is really pretty to looked at & learn to...
Unfortunately the new story that come later kinda ruin the whole story for me. The story about father & son, it's like they abruptly just stop the storyline. Or the later story about the daughter find job in the different city, is kinda unmatched with the whole storyline.
But overall this one good story to watch. Maybe better if they became drama, so some story can unravel more...
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relatable to those who got homemade lunch box
●BENTO HARASSMENT reminds me of an Indian movie titled “The Lunch Box” which is about two strangers who bond together after it gets mis-delivered to a man, made by a wife for her husband. They both send the letter in the box.In Bento Harassment mother crafts messages with food for her teen daughter.
●This movie is so relatable to me, and It might sound bad, but my mom just made one food for my lunchbox for almost 6years and when I reached my early teens I stopped taking lunchbox because I was bored and embarrassed to eat the same dish every day. I endured those 6hours with the breakfast I ate in the morning. My mother never asked the reason was sad though. I ain’t complaining but am super impressed how the mother in the movie cared so much for her daughter, also that single father who was a newbie at bento making was awesome.
●It was heartwarming to see a mother trying to bond with her rebellious daughter over food. And the messages of correct parenting were sent to the viewers. Do not pressurize your kid but try to talk with them, if not by mouth then with messages or any other way, when you put effort into parenting, Kids will surely feel your love and care.
●Story is comical and heartwarming simultaneously. It later becomes serious but maintains its warmth until the end.
●The acting is decent by everyone. No Complaints. I love the actress Playing the mother, the way she felt happy while making food was nice to see.
●My favorite scene is when both mom-daughter prepare the bento together.
●My favourite Bento Lunch Box was the last one, the graduation Bento.
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La boîte aux sentiments
Shinohara Ryoko fait partie du paysage médiatique depuis tant d’années qu’elle donne l’impression de faire un peu partie de la famille. C’est donc tout naturellement qu’elle prend le rôle de cette mère courage, un peu cinglée mais tellement aimante envers ses deux filles.Une single mother des années 2000, mise à l’écran en 2019, et révélant le potentiel comique de cette touche-à-tout du PAJ, paysage audiovisuel japonais. Pendant presque deux heures, elle accompagne le difficile passage de l’âge bête à l’âge un peu moins bête de sa seconde fille.
Rien de bien nouveau dans ce film qui reprend les codes du teenage movie : mère oppressive, fille rebelle… Chacun trouve cela normal, mais quand on vit sur une île à 300 km de Tokyo, en plein milieu du Pacifique, cela prend une ampleur cinématographique.
Alors que Yoshine Kyoko avait déjà une longue carrière derrière elle, du haut de ses 21 ans, elle incarne, grâce à sa morphologie, le rôle d’une lycéenne de 16 ans, et ça passe dans la quasi-totalité des scènes.
Le film pourrait détendre un moment, mais il s’éternise sur des banalités, le conflit générationnel (mais avec beaucoup d’amour), la quête de soi, les envies futures, le poids de la société. Ce teenage movie, vu du point de vue de la maman et un peu de la fille, n’apporte finalement pas grand-chose à part un déversement de bons sentiments. Il résonne comme une parabole de l’envol de l’oisillon du nid, thème tellement abordé dans les médias depuis que la dernière aventure moderne semble être de fonder une famille.
Les bentos auraient pu être la véritable star du film, mais ils restent drôles sans être vraiment fun. On sourit un peu avec Sadako, mais quel adolescent n’a jamais traité sa maman chérie de démon ?
Les paysages sont beaux, les sentiments le sont aussi, alors ne vous privez pas, mais ne le regardez pas si vos enfants viennent ou vont quitter le nid, des larmes risquent de couler jusqu’à l’océan. Pour les autres, ce sera plutôt : « Ma mère est aussi comme ça ! », mais au fond, on rêve tous d’en avoir une ainsi.
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