I think I enjoyed Solanin because of the fact that I was able to read the manga in the first place and was able to appreciate it more due to the involvement of music. Seeing Aoi Miyazaki sing her heart out on the stage was quite amazing to watch. This was the first time I've ever seen her sing like that and a rock genre nonetheless. I just hope that wasn't a voice over or else I might tear my hair out because I find her singing really cool.
The pacing of the story was alright, it wasn't slow nor too fast, but you had to understand the dialogue to appreciate it for what it is. There is so much meaning to the title Solanin and the movie would explain it well. There were funny moments on simple actions and tear jerking moments in unexpected scenes.
One last thing I have to really comment on, they were able to produce Meiko's t-shirt from the manga for the Live Action movie. That one, I really liked because it meant that they were really going through with details. Do check out the manga drawing in parallel with the Movie cover and you'll understand what I mean.
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Although the story seems quite depressing there's a lot of positive emotions. The plot therefore may appeal to many young people on who are to start an adult life. It's also about the importance of friendships and relations with others.
Obviously it revolves around music - which was really well matched to the overall feeling of the movie. It is very raw and full of emotions those bad and good, longing and happiness.
A something to come back to, definitely.
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This review may contain spoilers
An outlet to the future
Solanin is based on a popular manga with the same name. It refers to the poison which can affect certain types of vegetables in the nightshade family. It is a natural defense to protect the plant. This is important to the story, trust me.Solanin is a deeply interesting look at honoring someone by living out their wish. Much of Japan's cinema talks about death and it's consequences on others. The brilliance of this movie is how they tackle loss in a unique way. Many people who come out of school don't know what to do with their adult lives. Sometimes dreams can die and then world comes crushing down on you. The movie's first half covers much of this mentality with a sense of whimsical love. We can continue living so long as we are blissfully unaware of anyone but ourselves. This dramatically changes after the loss of one of the main characters. A strong change of melancholy takes over the film in the middle of the movie. When we don't have a proper goodbye to someone. can we really move on? That is the central question the movie answers.
The thing I mentioned earlier about poison is a metaphor for the type of pain someone's unexpected death can cause on someone. We see the main character Meiko slowly go into a downward spiral of depression after the loss of her loved one. She finds solace in his music that he left behind and continues his dream in order to understand him better. The film walks with the idea that societal pressures can have lasting effects on someone's self worth and even though we may seem fine it's not always the case. There's scenes in the movie which touch on self worth and the transactional nature of adulthood. We sometimes must do things that we do not agree with but sometimes it's better to go with the flow of he river then against it. Younger to millennial generations will probably understand this movie much better then older generation.
The acting is very well done for the most part, the strongest being Meiko and Jirou. These two show the most growth I feel in the entire movie's arcs. Naruo I felt was a little weaker in characterization but it evened out with the chemistry he had with the rest of the cast. Jirou's actor had an amazing scene that made me crack the tears. Meiko's Aoi Miyazaki has a really emotional depth especially when it comes to her facial expressions and body language. The final musical scene is a real catharsis. I felt like this was one of her better performances as it went through a huge gamut of emotions.
Lighting plays a small roll in the movie as the bright and warm cheerful days are alongside the dark and muddy days of loss. You can see a stark difference in the movie's feeling in both halves, which is something I enjoyed. The movie is very easy on the eyes and has a really nice lived in feeling. I really enjoyed this little bubble.
I think the ending will resonate well with anyone who is facing their whole lives ahead of them and would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a little pick me up.
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