This review may contain spoilers
A subject that should be understood by all
When we initially get a glimpse into the lives of Haruko and Mikio, all seems well.. but then the cracks start to form. This is a perfect visual of what depression is. What we do and see on the surface is not always what we are screaming on the inside.
The very realistic depiction of depression in this movie is fantastic. Mikio suffers daily and consistently but without knowing why. He has a good wife and mundane job that slowly is eating away at him. The catalyst can be said to be the stress of work, but the movie immediately dispels this. Which is what is special about this movie. It seems the writers really understood the many things that break a person. In Japan's society depression and suicide are really pressing matters. The society tends to focus on the group good rather then the individual's needs in Japan and things like depression are known well but stigmatized.
We see this in how others tend to brush off his depression in the movie and think he's just being lazy.
Haruko's constant struggle to make her husband feel better is heartfelt and realistic. When we go through all the stages of support and love, we get a clear image of how much she cares for her husband. Mikio's actor Sasaki plays his role with such conviction. There was a real sense of emptiness in a few scenes and a real sincerity to how he approached the feeling of depression. Both of them worked so well together in all their scenes. I enjoyed the small moments of their relationship like the cooking, sleeping or caring for animals. It added a lot to their relationship. The church scene was beautiful. The side characters also allowed for growth with the interactions they had so it was overall a good cast.
The music played it's part well. The piano and violins added much feeling to the scenes. There was a sense of loss and defeat in all the little music segments.
The movie ended off on a really fantastic note. It's not always perfect but neither is life.
The very realistic depiction of depression in this movie is fantastic. Mikio suffers daily and consistently but without knowing why. He has a good wife and mundane job that slowly is eating away at him. The catalyst can be said to be the stress of work, but the movie immediately dispels this. Which is what is special about this movie. It seems the writers really understood the many things that break a person. In Japan's society depression and suicide are really pressing matters. The society tends to focus on the group good rather then the individual's needs in Japan and things like depression are known well but stigmatized.
We see this in how others tend to brush off his depression in the movie and think he's just being lazy.
Haruko's constant struggle to make her husband feel better is heartfelt and realistic. When we go through all the stages of support and love, we get a clear image of how much she cares for her husband. Mikio's actor Sasaki plays his role with such conviction. There was a real sense of emptiness in a few scenes and a real sincerity to how he approached the feeling of depression. Both of them worked so well together in all their scenes. I enjoyed the small moments of their relationship like the cooking, sleeping or caring for animals. It added a lot to their relationship. The church scene was beautiful. The side characters also allowed for growth with the interactions they had so it was overall a good cast.
The music played it's part well. The piano and violins added much feeling to the scenes. There was a sense of loss and defeat in all the little music segments.
The movie ended off on a really fantastic note. It's not always perfect but neither is life.
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