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A frustrating watch to be honest. Not because of the movie itself. More so the themes behind the movie are so true and harsh.
The theme of this movie seems to be about how we are just expected to be someone as soon as we enter the job market in society. In Japan, it is a big deal to land a good job and if you do it must be with a company. Those jobs pretty much mean you are there for life. It's generally looked down upon taking up jobs that aren't with giant companies and leaving such jobs is also a very big faux pas. Therefor work culture in Japan can sometimes be toxic and leave many people in disarray during the job hunt.
We come across 5 individuals all looking for that release. When they will find the job that will make them a productive member of society. Each one has a goal in mind to find the job but they are extremely reluctant to do so. Many of them end up having to compromise in order not to feel failure. Failure is a large component of this movie. In fact the main Protagonist Takuto somewhat revels in it. And this is where the movie becomes extremely frustrating.
Takuto is always analyzing his peers and making his judgements on their decisions. His character is majorly flawed in that he has totally been crushed by the world and doesn't take responsibility for his own downfalls. This creates a large vacuum of despair within himself. It's as if his self loathing is projected onto his friends. We learn at the end about what he's really been thinking the entire movie and it's awful. As someone who has had issues in the past comparing themselves to others, I can understand where he's coming from. We attack because we lack awareness of our own vulnerabilities. It's one of the reasons it's hard to watch this for me. We know he knows that he isn't amounting to anything but he can't express it himself anymore.
A largely trapped feeling that dwells on past stories.
The other characters are parallels of this journey. Mizuki who has to grow up in order to protect her parents who she feels she owes. Kotaro the drive less musician who has to move on in order to survive. Despite this he continues to head toward a goal that seems almost implausible. Rica who wants to do good in the world and does everything she can to make herself heard. And finally Takayoshi who has already decided that the world is beneath him and he doesn't want to live in such a world that breaks someone's individuality. All of these characters represent many repressed feelings of youth who are growing up in such a society that values you more as a number then a person. The main cast all present themselves in a way that represents a role in Takuto's mind play. People who hide their insecurities and sadness behind walls. They are all equally disgraceful in his eyes. But we watch on as entertainment. So then the question the movie asks is how can we be so blind to these feelings?
Visually the film is well shot and there's some really good tight shots and the stage play shots are really inventive. A lot of the film focuses on subtle little cues. Like the shuffling of a phone or the eyes of Takuto making his analysis of his friends.Body language is also very telling in this story. There's a major difference in how let's say Kotaro, Takayoshi and Takuto present themselves. Takeru Satoh has this innate ability to portray a devilish quality behind his acting. It's kinda like that swarmy evil underbelly of someone . In this movie it makes him pretty unlikable as a character. Kasumi once again steals the show with her distant emotional breaks. I think she had the best scenes in the movie.
I would say this movie is ok to watch when you just maybe feel a little sad. It's mood is definitely subdued with it's warm intense lighting. It uses a lot of techniques that stage plays use I thought. So it has a lot of spotlights and colored lighting to convey tones.
Finally the film expresses the one true thing we all know. Twitter is a dumpster fire.
The theme of this movie seems to be about how we are just expected to be someone as soon as we enter the job market in society. In Japan, it is a big deal to land a good job and if you do it must be with a company. Those jobs pretty much mean you are there for life. It's generally looked down upon taking up jobs that aren't with giant companies and leaving such jobs is also a very big faux pas. Therefor work culture in Japan can sometimes be toxic and leave many people in disarray during the job hunt.
We come across 5 individuals all looking for that release. When they will find the job that will make them a productive member of society. Each one has a goal in mind to find the job but they are extremely reluctant to do so. Many of them end up having to compromise in order not to feel failure. Failure is a large component of this movie. In fact the main Protagonist Takuto somewhat revels in it. And this is where the movie becomes extremely frustrating.
Takuto is always analyzing his peers and making his judgements on their decisions. His character is majorly flawed in that he has totally been crushed by the world and doesn't take responsibility for his own downfalls. This creates a large vacuum of despair within himself. It's as if his self loathing is projected onto his friends. We learn at the end about what he's really been thinking the entire movie and it's awful. As someone who has had issues in the past comparing themselves to others, I can understand where he's coming from. We attack because we lack awareness of our own vulnerabilities. It's one of the reasons it's hard to watch this for me. We know he knows that he isn't amounting to anything but he can't express it himself anymore.
A largely trapped feeling that dwells on past stories.
The other characters are parallels of this journey. Mizuki who has to grow up in order to protect her parents who she feels she owes. Kotaro the drive less musician who has to move on in order to survive. Despite this he continues to head toward a goal that seems almost implausible. Rica who wants to do good in the world and does everything she can to make herself heard. And finally Takayoshi who has already decided that the world is beneath him and he doesn't want to live in such a world that breaks someone's individuality. All of these characters represent many repressed feelings of youth who are growing up in such a society that values you more as a number then a person. The main cast all present themselves in a way that represents a role in Takuto's mind play. People who hide their insecurities and sadness behind walls. They are all equally disgraceful in his eyes. But we watch on as entertainment. So then the question the movie asks is how can we be so blind to these feelings?
Visually the film is well shot and there's some really good tight shots and the stage play shots are really inventive. A lot of the film focuses on subtle little cues. Like the shuffling of a phone or the eyes of Takuto making his analysis of his friends.Body language is also very telling in this story. There's a major difference in how let's say Kotaro, Takayoshi and Takuto present themselves. Takeru Satoh has this innate ability to portray a devilish quality behind his acting. It's kinda like that swarmy evil underbelly of someone . In this movie it makes him pretty unlikable as a character. Kasumi once again steals the show with her distant emotional breaks. I think she had the best scenes in the movie.
I would say this movie is ok to watch when you just maybe feel a little sad. It's mood is definitely subdued with it's warm intense lighting. It uses a lot of techniques that stage plays use I thought. So it has a lot of spotlights and colored lighting to convey tones.
Finally the film expresses the one true thing we all know. Twitter is a dumpster fire.
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