Our Youth: an absolute masterpiece.
In a industry where the relationship between people of the same sex is extrapolated, superficial, cheap, misinterpretaded and souless, "Our Youth" comes as a reminder that there are people out there whom are actually working to embrace the art of the complicated love thats upon two young, confused boys in the real world, with real problems and relatable feelings.As the series keeps being swinged between past, present and future, Minase, a polite, quiet student, finds out the truth about Hirukawa, the so-called school's rude and problematic boy who's actually a sweet, needy boy who deals with a alcoholic father, a distant mother and no references of being good at all, at least until Minase steps into his life.
That's what kept me going the most, the way the storyline manages to feel delicate, quiet almost, subtle and soft in every single take, even when portraying heavy themes and profound emotions. It's an absolute proof that the care of the filmmaking team was really there, that the actors were exploring their characters, that everyone involved in this project were in synergy while producing the whole thing. It's something you can feel.
Junsei and Kenshin acting still keeps me speechless to this day. They're young actors yet so talented and a hardworking duo. When the timeskip came and a suddenly-smoker Minase glances to nowhere, I knew instantly that everything had changed, yet everything was still the same. It's Junsei's prime in this series, the hability to portrait the loneliness, the sadness, the emptyness and the longing without saying a single word. He's just walking by the beach where his father had filmed his first love's favorite movie in silence, yet you know everything.
Kenshin's acting keeps up with Junsei, no doubt. Hirukawa's beach confession were probably one of the most emotional scenes that I have ever seen. He's talking about how he were in the dark, and how he felt afraid of being alone, but when the moring came, he thought of Minase, he thought of their love and contemplated how it warmed his heart. It's heartwarming and heartwrecking at the same time, it's unbelievable. We go from a reckless punk to a birth of a new Hirukawa, who smiles more, who talks more and who's finally happy and chasing a good life for him.
I must say, "Our Youth" it's a beautiful series that tells the story of how love found two lost, empty boys. It's the kind of show that makes the watcher sit and wonder after finishing the last episode. It's the kind of show that has lots of details, of little hidden things. The kind of series that's interested in the emotions, in the art and in the message. It's quietly stunning, gentle and deep. The realization of it finds me at the very end, when they're in the sea, playing and laughing together and they understand each other, and there's pure love and tenderness in the sound of the waves, their glances and the silence. Makes me think about lots of things, which is the purpose of art, to provoke and wake feelings up, and "Our Youth" does it perfectly in its every second. An absolute masterpiece.
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