Detchiage: Satsujin Kyoshi to Yobareta Otoko

Memorable and gut-wrenching story with an interesting structure

This movie took me on a wild ride : I felt physically sick at some point because of the events unfolding on screen. The fact that the story is based on real life events is just heartbreaking and the social criticism raised by it is really worth a watch. It left me with a very profound and resounding impression.

The unreliable narrator angle took by the film is very interesting in itself and has a clear shock factor. I wish a longer epilogue would have exploited it even more, especially to get more details on the outcome of the story. I also wish a third view would have been set up to define even better the media role : the part of Kamenashi Kazuya could have been developed more, even if in itself it did a solid job showing the brutal impact of media targeting. A better pacing and and a longer epilogue showing the various sides would have been perfect to round up the movie.

The acting was excellent : Ayano Go as well Shibasaki Ko who hold central roles, were both scary and painfully touching depending the angle you were looking at the story. Miura Kira played incredibly well his traumatic part and overall, I hope to see him grow into an amazing career, as kid role can sometimes make or break a movie, and here it was really well acted.

The production value was pretty good: very grey and anxiety-provoking...With images that are leaving me with lasting torturous feelings.

I would strongly recommend this to people looking for a crime thriller with a very interesting point of view. The movie can be pretty triggering so you might want to have a look at the tags. However, I feel the best way to enjoy this movie is to go in blind, not knowing what it is about. I had no clue what the story was about and it really impacted my watching experience in a positive way as I was dumbfounded and grasping with a lot of feelings.

Read More

Expect slow paced but it is really good!

Disclaimer: I watched this in Japan at the cinema, so do not ask me "where did you watch it?"

The acting across the board in this one is amazing! The cast is absolutely star-studded so it makes sense the acting is also toptier. Ayano Go really shows his range in this movie and does phenomenal. But it makes me so sad seeing how much he's aged since the last time I watched him in something. All my fav actors are slowly heading towards old-old *cries* nevertheless, the absolutely flawed this character and performance! I cried a few times just from his emotions and acting alone.

The rest of the cast did amazing too! I absolutely adored seeing Shibasaki Ko's range as she really brings it all to this role. And of course, Kimura Fumino really knows how to play good characters well.

Also, the child actors? Holy moly! They were all so good too! Miura Kira has a very bright acting future ahead of him if he continues persuing acting - he was more than very good. The other child actor who stood out was young Ritsuko but I can't find her name just yet).

The story was really good but I recommend going in without knowing much - I think it'll be far more enjoyable that way! However, please be prepared to be ANGRY multiple times throughout at this film; it is not a happy film at all, and in the usual Japanese film-making style: it has an open ending. Also, some of the characters (especially Ookura Koji, Sakoda Takaya and Mitsuishi Ken's roles). are going to piss you right off.

As a final add on but some criticism: while I am a Kamenashi fan, can someone explain to me why he's in all the promo for this movie alongside Ayano Go? Light spoilers but he has the least screentime out (maybe 5 mins max) of ALL the big names in the cast and is not a part of the main plot at all. So why he is 50% of all the promo for this film? Give it to Shibasaki and Kimura instead!

Psst. I know it's to get butts in seats but Shibasaki and Kimura are well-known enough actors by themselves to bring in an audience alongside Ayano Go and powerhouse names like Mitsuishi Ken!

Read More