This review may contain spoilers
Family is whoever is there now
I wish I could explain thoroughly how this movie makes you feel.
The movie's highlight and message is a wonderful message. Family is something that we acquire and doesn't necessarily need to be blood related. I think this resonated beautifully in the movie. We have many different characters come together all due to the strong performance of Miyazawa Rie. Her character is the glue that holds these characters together. I thought her beautiful but quiet strength was a real highlight of the movie. It never strayed into melodramatic territory. Although that one gut punch scene with her and Azumi, that was hard. The movie has a bunch of different types of emotional scenes that will affect people differently but I found it all to be similar to a coming of age story.
Futaba's character was so well balanced. I think once you learn about her own backstory it makes her struggle through the movie so much more powerful. There was a grace about how she carried herself but a slight playfulness. Not to mention her slightly brash nature. I thought she was a well rounded character. I do wonder how they would balance with her young costar. The young Azumi was expertly played by Sugisaki Hana. Her scenes showed a lot of vulnerability and strength. I think most of us can relate to her growing pains. We experience through Azumi: Bullying, anxiety and emotional distress caused by school and then the weight of her loved ones diagnosis. Her eternal struggle to emote her feelings and the opposing force of her mother pushing her to act, It was all very moving. I enjoyed her progression in the movie into her own person.
Ayuko, the little sister played a nice roll in the dynamic of the family as an outsider. I felt her story needed some more plot as she was somewhat just there. I understood her character was meant to be like that but I needed more for her to truly resonate in the story. What we did get of her in the story was heartbreaking. Joe Odagiri's character, how should I put this? He isn't really around, but simultaneously has an effect on all the characters without even doing anything do to his character's progression. I would of liked more exposition on his character's reasons for coming back or why he did what he did. I think that's why we had carefree but distraught Takumi introduced. In a way it mirrored Kazuhiro and that was important for Futaba's acceptance of Kazuhiro in the end.
The cinematography was quiet and well framed. Body language played a part in any scene were the four of them were together. There was a particular scene with Ayuko after her big emotional scene that I thought was a simple yet affective shot involving a simple light pillar and her eyes. It was a clever way of showing a silver lining to hardships. The scene with Azumi and Kimie was also a scene stealer. It was probably my favorite scene in the entire movie. The soundtrack was nothing notable however the ambient piano allowed the movie to have a light an airy atmosphere.
Despite the movie's feeling of loss, I think the movie somehow maintained a sense of hope. I felt like it never allowed things to linger and every setback came with a win. I think it's message is important to people to consider. We don't always know how long we have on this earth, so we want to be able to know those we leave behind will be ok. Our family we create, they help you stay grounded and support you as your base.
The movie's highlight and message is a wonderful message. Family is something that we acquire and doesn't necessarily need to be blood related. I think this resonated beautifully in the movie. We have many different characters come together all due to the strong performance of Miyazawa Rie. Her character is the glue that holds these characters together. I thought her beautiful but quiet strength was a real highlight of the movie. It never strayed into melodramatic territory. Although that one gut punch scene with her and Azumi, that was hard. The movie has a bunch of different types of emotional scenes that will affect people differently but I found it all to be similar to a coming of age story.
Futaba's character was so well balanced. I think once you learn about her own backstory it makes her struggle through the movie so much more powerful. There was a grace about how she carried herself but a slight playfulness. Not to mention her slightly brash nature. I thought she was a well rounded character. I do wonder how they would balance with her young costar. The young Azumi was expertly played by Sugisaki Hana. Her scenes showed a lot of vulnerability and strength. I think most of us can relate to her growing pains. We experience through Azumi: Bullying, anxiety and emotional distress caused by school and then the weight of her loved ones diagnosis. Her eternal struggle to emote her feelings and the opposing force of her mother pushing her to act, It was all very moving. I enjoyed her progression in the movie into her own person.
Ayuko, the little sister played a nice roll in the dynamic of the family as an outsider. I felt her story needed some more plot as she was somewhat just there. I understood her character was meant to be like that but I needed more for her to truly resonate in the story. What we did get of her in the story was heartbreaking. Joe Odagiri's character, how should I put this? He isn't really around, but simultaneously has an effect on all the characters without even doing anything do to his character's progression. I would of liked more exposition on his character's reasons for coming back or why he did what he did. I think that's why we had carefree but distraught Takumi introduced. In a way it mirrored Kazuhiro and that was important for Futaba's acceptance of Kazuhiro in the end.
The cinematography was quiet and well framed. Body language played a part in any scene were the four of them were together. There was a particular scene with Ayuko after her big emotional scene that I thought was a simple yet affective shot involving a simple light pillar and her eyes. It was a clever way of showing a silver lining to hardships. The scene with Azumi and Kimie was also a scene stealer. It was probably my favorite scene in the entire movie. The soundtrack was nothing notable however the ambient piano allowed the movie to have a light an airy atmosphere.
Despite the movie's feeling of loss, I think the movie somehow maintained a sense of hope. I felt like it never allowed things to linger and every setback came with a win. I think it's message is important to people to consider. We don't always know how long we have on this earth, so we want to be able to know those we leave behind will be ok. Our family we create, they help you stay grounded and support you as your base.
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