heartbreaking, yet beautiful
This has to be one of the most underrated films of 2022.The director, Tanada Yuki, did a fantastic job portraying the ups and downs of life through gorgeous scenery and profound dialogue. At times, the pacing felt a bit slow, and some of the scenes seemed to drag slightly, but it did an effective job of creating an emotional experience for the viewer. This film touches on issues of mental illness, various forms of familial and relationship abuse, and toxic work culture. Certain scenes contained heart-wrenching and quite graphic depictions of self-harm and abuse, so be forewarned. The slower paced scenes ultimately allowed the viewer to reflect on the serious issues presented in this film. This movie is relatively short, and the plot isn't that complicated, but everything about it is impactful.
What makes this film amazing is the acting. Nagano Mei truly become the character of Shiino Tomoyo. I could feel her anguish, frustration, and helplessness through the screen. Her character felt like an anchor for the viewer to hold onto. Her reactions felt very real, in the face of tremendous heartbreak and anger. All the characters had fantastic line delivery, but Nagano definitely owned this movie.
Even though this film is incredibly sad, there are elements of humor sprinkled throughout. It felt very real, as life is filled with beauty, tragedy, and comedy. I can't emphasize enough how gorgeous this film is. It's definitely an emotional roller coaster, so prepare tissues!
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"The only thing you can do for a person who is gone is to live"
I’m always hesitant to write reviews on films based on mangas or books because people who have read them are often able to fill in the gaps with their reading experience. Having not read the manga my review will be based solely on my reaction to the film.Shiino works for a verbally abusive boss. He’s labeled “@sshole boss” on her phone. While eating lunch she is horrified to hear on the television that her best friend has died. She discovers Mariko has already been cremated and the ashes given to her father. With little thought she talks her way into his apartment and steals her friend’s ashes at knife point. After running barefoot through town and seemingly owning only one pair of shoes, Shiino decides it’s time to take a road trip to the beach with her friend. She digs out an old pair of dilapidated Doc Martens, fumigates them, and takes the first bus out of town with Mariko’s ashes in hand.
Through flashbacks we learn that Mariko and Shiino had been friends since childhood and also that Mariko’s father had been abusing her since then. Their friendship endured many of Mariko’s cries for help and ultimatums. On her journey to take Mariko’s ashes to the ocean, Shiino suffered set-back after set-back aided only by a man dressed like the Grim Reaper who appeared whenever she needed help. While ostensibly this was Shiino’s journey through agonizing grief at her friend leaving without saying good-bye, I was always distracted by Mariko’s ongoing abuse at the hands of the men in her life. Were there no child services called or available when she showed up to school bruised and broken from head to toe on a regular basis? Did Shiino repeatedly try to get her friend to see a therapist to deal with the traumas she’d suffered? Why didn’t they call the police when one of the men beat both of them and attempted to break into their apartment or when one of Mariko’s lovers broke her arm and robbed her? Was there ever a point when Shiino stopped enabling Mariko’s self-destructive behaviors and attempted to get her the help she desperately needed? Shiino had her own issues that could have used a professional helping hand as well.
Grief and its 1000 cuts by haunting memories filled My Broken Mariko. But it also left unanswered the most important question of how both women’s lives might have been changed if they’d stop accepting whatever abuse was heaped upon them and sought to gain some agency for their own lives.
3 August 2024
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Great acting from Nagano Mei
This is probably a must-watch for Nagano Mei's fans, because she did brilliantly in this movie. She usually play that pretty, sweet, good-mannered type of character so I'm kinda surprised she could pull off Shiina's character well. I haven't read the manga but people said this movie is very close to the original manga. The story is good, the acting is great, supporting characters also did well....but one thing I should say (or warn, maybe), this movie could make you sleepy. If you're not a fan of slow paced, poetic lines kind of movie, you should probably know about this in advance.... I skipped some 'muted' scenes (no dialogue, just the actors or the scenery) because I was feeling drowsy watching it.I understand though, maybe the cinematography in this movie was intended to be the exact same as the manga, as much as possible. But in my opinion they should have added some nice, sentimental music in the background maybe? To make it more...idk, dramatic? Because it's not a plain 2D pictures audience is watching, it's a movie adaptation so I guess some more music in the background would be nice! Especially for audiences who haven't read the manga and couldn't grasp the emotion delivered by the main character from the original piece like me.
I gave it 7.5 out of 10 because I personally do not like slow paced-type of movie. But other than that, it was pretty good.
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This review may contain spoilers
Pandora's Box
Mariko and Shiino are two peas on a pod, as both had though upbringing and was in a toxic environment. Due to this, they were able to empathize, support each other, and form a strong bond. Her whole journey to uphold their "promise" of seeing the sea, reminded me of Pandora's Box (also due to Mariko's ashes being on a box). Her whole journey were full of despair, and bad luck just like what Pandora unleashed upon opening the box. As Pandora's Box had "Hope" amidst the foul, pain and darkness, her journey's conclusion also gave her Hope that served as will to carry on living for her beloved. It made me realize that through out her journey, there was Hope beside her.This story, despite being common, was able to make me feel heavy and it made me remember that the world is indeed cruel, unfair, yet fair. Through out the movie, it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. It ran just right even if it only was 90 mins, it wasn't too fast nor too slow. The speed made sense, specially taking into consideration that this only happened for maybe 3 or 4 days.
Nagano Mei really pulled me on the story, she was able to really show the longing, loneliness, and confusion she felt from Mariko's passing. Most of Mei's project that I watched had her as someone that is innocent, and soft spoken and to see her shouting and talking with a sharp mouth was new for me. The delivery of her dialogues and monologues were one of the things that kept me engaged on the story. She is able to evoke despair and longing for her dear friend. Nao also doesn't fall short on her acting, I was feeling concerned like Shiino the whole time. Her delivery on the "It's all my fault" lines was so great that it felt like I needed to tell her thay she wasn't at fault and also say what Shiino said that the world was at fault for her demise.
The inserts had a hopeful feeling on it an example would be when Shiino had the answer for her question, "Where should we go?". Hope was scattered through out the film, even thought it isn't really that noticable. The ending song had the calm vibe on it, just like how droplets of water drip sound after a heavy rain.
It is a heavy film that can also make people's heart ache, a great film that is good to rewatch also but if you don't want to feel that again you can skip rewatching this. For me, I will pass on rewatching this because this movie is something that you can only see and feel once. Like having a feeling of "wanting to watch it for the first time again".
Overall, this is a heavy drama that easily captures the feeling of losing a person that is important to you. The story was pretty straightforward. The acting was what made this film a great watch. A big props to the director, original author, actors, staff that was able to make a film like this.
To watch this, you should be mentally ready as topics in this movie may be a trigger.
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might be triggering...
My Broken Mariko is a visually stunning Japanese film that explores complex themes like mental health, grief, and redemption. The story follows Tomoyo as she travels across Japan to deliver the ashes of her best friend, Mariko, amidst the struggles of her painful past.Through the visually striking imagery and outstanding performances, the audience is transported into Tomoyo's emotionally-charged world.
The music is thoughtfully composed and helps to create a vivid atmosphere, heightening the emotional impact of each scene.
Overall, My Broken Mariko is a journey of self-discovery and redemption that serves as a reminder of the human capacity for resilience and the importance of accepting help from others. The main reason why I can't give it a higher rating is because it has a low rewatch value because of triggering themes.
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This thing about mourning
This one is interesting.Just like the protagonist we are immediately thrown into the cold water. No lead up to death, no explanation just yet. This woman named Mariko is dead and we are taken on a journey of how her friend deals with it as well of what could have been the cause. And man, it's one terrible thing after another.
I find it really hard to say much about how the suicide topic was handled here since the film doesnt seem to actively make any certain statement. The suicide in fact isnt the main focus at all, even if you can interpret it as such, i think the main focus is on how to grief. Regardless how a friend died in the end loved ones are left behind and everyone deals with it differently, has to in fact. In this case I think its displayed beautiful the stages one goes through.
There is denial, texting Mariko, unable to believe its true. Then there is wanting to make good by her, put her to rest peacefully. And of course anger, one that I was waiting for during the runtime of the film and was really well expressed with the "But you had me!" That our protagonist shouts in her drunken state. And lastly of course acceptance. Those are all really complex emptions that I think the acttess did a just fine jon in portraying. At times i felt like there was a bit of depth missing in her portrayal that pulled me a bit out of the deep emotions. The scenes meant to be impactful still were impactful though. Whom I really have to praise thpugh are the child actresses. They genuinely made me believe their distress, shock and friendship. They did an amazing job!
While those stages of grief in this type of story seem rather typical, this movie does something interesting. In the end it is completely up to the audience what to make of it all. We are not being told how to feel about it, whom to judge how nor what the moral of the story is. Its all open for interpretation.
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This review may contain spoilers
A great movie but not a 1 to 1 adaptation.
My Broken Mariko as a manga is heartbreaking and hits a chord about strained relationships, love, loss and guilt. The movie adaptation follows through but loses some of it's balance that the manga had.One stark difference is the Character of Shiino. In the manga she's much more animated and hot headed. In the movie she's more down to earth and more appropriately human. This change is good for the movie as it makes her grief aspect stronger. It does change the overall tone of the original work but the more grief driven Shiino was probably a better choice for the subject matter. Speaking of which, this movie delves heavily into the subject of self harm,suicide, rape and abuse. It may trigger a few people because of this. This is why I think the tone is more cohesive in the movie. The manga uses humor to help soften the blow before these harsh scenes. I think that's why there might be a little unhappiness with the adaptation for some.
Despite that however Mei Is basically soloing this entire move on her own. I think she carries the devastating emotion so well. Her facial expressions and tightness in body language really help sell Shiino. When she does need a few good yells it comes across well. The bar scene was not as good as the manga as I pictured it more combative but in context to the movie it was fine. Mei had some of her best scenes here with her emotional outbursts. Mariko's actor shows off a hauntingly childlike demeanor which was pitch perfect. As the two leads, they felt natural and fully realized.
A bunch of the scenes were also 1 to 1 of the manga panels which was admirable. I liked the placement of the additional extra in the movie. The feeling of loss was present through many of the scenes framing and lighting. The climax of the movie was well executed. They picked a beautiful space to recreate the scene. Kudos to the person who found the spot.
So while this wasn't a 1 to 1 adaptation it was really well done and great just as a standalone movie.
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Cassée, Oh Oh Cassée...
Il n’y a plus grand-chose à dire sur ce film, qui a marqué les esprits à sa sortie en 2022, à la fois par son thème et son acting. Je vais donc m’efforcer de ne pas être aussi dithyrambique que mes confrères critiques, mais avec une Nagano Mei au sommet de son art, cela semble tout simplement impossible.S’il ne devait en rester qu’une…
Je le dis depuis des années : Nagano Mei est l’une des meilleures actrices au monde (je sais, j'avais promis), et chacune de ses apparitions est pour moi un bonheur. Si elle peut me faire sourire dans Hanbun, Aoi ou Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho, et me faire pleurer à en assécher le Nil dans Kimi ga Kokoro Kureta Kara, elle peut aussi se révéler très moyenne, comme dans Hakozume ou Unicorn ni Notte. J’étais donc plutôt circonspect en me préparant à visionner un de ses films datant de cette même époque (2022). Mais quelle goujaterie d’avoir douté ! Car on assiste ici, une fois de plus, à une véritable leçon d’acting pour toute sa génération (à commencer par Nao, qui paraît bien fade à côté).
C’est du grand Nagano : la détresse et la colère qu’elle exprime dans de nombreuses scènes vous feront autant frissonner que pleurer. Elle atteint ici le niveau, voire un au-delà, de ce qu’elle a pu donner dans Kimi ga Kokoro Kureta Kara. C’est clairement l’atout majeur du film, celui qui justifie à lui seul le visionnage.
Une vision de déjà-vu
Le thème principal, déjà maintes fois traité, n’en reste pas moins toujours d’actualité. La violence au sein de la cellule familiale n’est pas l’apanage du Japon, mais dans un pays où l’on cultive une certaine légèreté de l’être, ces faits en deviennent d’autant plus atroces. Les révélations, sous forme de flashbacks assez classiques dans la mise en scène, ne peuvent que glacer le spectateur.
On ne sera bien sûr pas surpris par l’emprise du père sur sa fille – les mécanismes sont connus. En revanche, le manque de réaction des services sociaux, de l’école, de Nao elle-même, et même de Mei, donne une impression d’incohérence. Mei raconte l’enfance, l’adolescence et même le début de la vie adulte de son amie comme si elle avait vécu en vase clos. Mais au vu des marques et de l’horreur qu’elle subit, comment personne n’a-t-il pu réagir ?
Alors oui, Mei se préoccupe d’elle, la sort de l’emprise de son père… mais n’y a-t-il plus de police au Japon pour prendre le relais ? Qu’une victime garde le secret, d’accord, c’est un phénomène courant, et il n'est possible de parler de son traumatisme que des années après. Mais que son amie, qui à déjà 12 ans, hurlait à la mort devant la porte du père, n’ait jamais envisagé d’aller plus loin… ça sonne faux.
Qu’on cache ce scénariste sous un casque !
Ces incohérences scénaristiques, tout comme le What The Fuck du passage à la mer, gâchent une sensibilité qui commençait pourtant à bien s’installer. Kubota Masataka n’est que l’ombre de lui-même dans cette partie. Certes, on ne s’attendait pas à une comédie romantique, mais son rôle manque cruellement de consistance, à tel point qu’il ressemble à un prince charmant Disney parachuté dans un drame réaliste pour sauver la princesse héroïne.
Si certaines trouvailles scénaristiques peuvent surprendre, elles manquent tellement de cohérence qu’elles en deviennent risibles à des moments incongrus. Certaines lignes de dialogue, comme « J’ai fait la même chose, il y a six mois », laissent attendre une suite… qui ne viendra jamais. Et c’est d’ailleurs le plus grand défaut du film. Avec seulement 1h30 au compteur, il s’attarde trop sur ce séjour à la mer, qui semble miraculeusement résoudre tous les problèmes en une journée. Et pourtant, chaque scène introduit de nouveaux personnages qui auraient mérité un vrai développement.
On se retrouve donc frustré en arrivant à la fin du film… tout comme Mei, qui n’a qu’une envie : hurler sur Nao pour qu’elle se prenne enfin en main et arrête de profiter d’elle.
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