Japanese Film Festival Online 2024 5th June - 19th June (films); 19th June - 3rd July (dramas)

re itwmd's replies that i can't quote without losing spoilers

It felt very much like grief to me, largely stuck and unexpressed until his wife's mum's death opened the wound. And also selfishness, or perhaps a self-absorption which can come from grief and not having enough spare emotional capacity to give others as much as we should. He's a widower who hasn't scattered his wife's ashes. Her mother, the person he can talk about her with as well as being his friend of many years, dies. Two sources of grief right there.

Grieving himself, perhaps. I understand the reality of this because of how much chronic illness has limited my life, it's very common for us. I'm not so sure about him. It may be that he became terrified of dying because of the trauma of losing his wife so young (he would have been around 47), or maybe he already had a fear of his own death and that was why he couldn't scatter her ashes. By the time of the film, these two aspects are intertwined and he finally faces both. Not that he's done grieving, it never goes away it just becomes more manageable.

It was selfish of him to ask her to move in with him and then change his mind, regardless of her reason. I don't think her reason for agreeing to was as limited as you do. I see nearly losing him as a simplifying and therefore deciding factor but not the only one. Living there would mean a big change to her life and he took her by surprise with it, so she needed time to think. But he put her through that decision and then tossed it away for his own preference.

The relationship felt typically Japanese to me, as they're presented in films and series. I tend to assume there are things going on we don't see, but maybe there aren't. There was a lot of cooking for and eating together, and he said something like the best thing is eating with someone you like. I've heard that elsewhere, probably Kinou Nani Tabeta? Anyway food does seem to be how they convey intimacy, at least in films.

No, I wasn't annoyed by the voice overs. Maybe because I have short sentence philosophical conversations with myself in the garden too? Maybe it's a matter of translation and we're hearing them differently as native and non-native English speakers? Over all, I'm not sure the film had as much depth of thought as it seemed it would. Or maybe I've just already given a lot of thought to death myself given the situation of my life. Anyway, those are my reactions to what you've raised.

Half-way point of the festival. How is everyone doing with seeing what they want to see?  

I am what I am - about an aroace woman navigating others' insistence she have a relationship. The structure of it felt like it paralleled films about finding your right person for a relationship, it's just that the right thing for her is different. It's really well done.

I'm bouncing off many of the comedies. As much as I love the slower pace and earnestness of J-film, I struggle with a lot of their comedies, especially if the subject isn't something I click with either. The hyper-violence of Baby Assassins was too much and while I can see what they're doing in contrasting it with the girls' nonchalance, it's not how I want to spend my time. The Handsome Suit probably has a good message about looking beyond appearances, but the first hour is built around humour that puts people down for their appearance. Might try Wedding High again.

Only have KIBA, Twenty-Four Eyes and My Broken Mariko left, plus seeing if I can manage the animation style of Jungle Emperor Leo on a less seizure-prone day.

I understand about spoons.

 i watch too many dramas:

My Broken Mariko seems too sad for me, if you choose that, tell me, if I'm right?

It's next on my list so maybe tomorrow, depending on how I feel. I have some lighter Thai fare ready all set to get my head back on track if need be. I'll write something here after, whenever that is.

 i watch too many dramas:

I loved Closet the most -- that one doesn't need darkness to convey a real sense first of unease, then of terror, slowly raising the heart rate.

closet was my favourite, although sort of tied with KARAKASA even though they're hard to compare. closet did at least as much with less and that's impressive. Left me thinking both that I want to watch a full length feature from the director and very certain I should absolutely not :D He surely has a bright future ahead of him. If bright is the right word for his oevre :)

 i watch too many dramas:

It's mainly the minutes before the real ending,

Ok, it was the real ending that made it complete for me. The part before that you didn't care for, take it or leave it for me, but I have less experience with ghost stories than you do. It felt like a non-ending too, in that this cycle was going to continue and continue. BWtA just didn't work for me at all. Not a fan of macabre. But I guess I can see why other people like it better now. (I'm used to being the odd one out in my preferences.)

I probably shouldn't be thinking about these things at dusk on a very gloomy day. Eek :)

 i watch too many dramas:

Both series in the festival are business focussed -- do you know already if you will want to watch either of them?

The one person who's chatting with me on dreamwidth about the festival rates them very highly, especially Rikuoh. I have to give them a try for her. Hopefully with 10 hours instead of 2, there will be enough focus on other things as well. If it's 10 hours of work environments, I won't make it :) I am topping up on some Thai in preparation ;)

 I like stories about people, so I am what I am and My Broken Mariko rate high for me, especially when they're done as well as those are. They both feel like very real people dealing with very real things.

 i watch too many dramas:

Baby Assassins, The Lines that define me and I go GaGa are left of the second category. Edit: I forgot Single 8

I enjoyed Single8, it was fun and easy to watch. Lines is aesthetically beautiful. I Go GaGa was too long and repetitious for me (J-docs usually are) so I didn't finish it but am glad I saw some of it. The Lone Ume Tree is the one I'm thinking to rewatch but it's one that I remember well.