Everybody needs somebody
I just watched this at the movie theatre and it left quite the impression on me.
My critisism
The story telling in itself was very westernized, if you watched a lot of Japanese movies you will know. It's mostly in the little details or how things are resolved in the end. Japanese movies of this kind tend to leave more open endings and room for interpretation. I won't say more since it would be a spoiler.
Despite all the characters -apart from Brendan Fraser's- being Japanese, their actions did not seem very Japanese a lot of the time (especially in regards to skinship) and it felt simply strange how good their English was, even if they are in a big city like Tokyo. For example Brendan's character made the effort to speak Japanese really well (and great respect to the actor himself for doing that!), but then suddenly people switch back to perfect English, as if there is no need for him to even learn the language. Maybe it was done on purpose, but still it makes the characters less genuine to me, unless you gave them a backstory with a good reason for their perfect English.
What I enjoyed
The heartfelt interactions between Brendan's character and his clients and his reactions after he realized he can do something for them and they also help him in a way. The moments with the little girl Mia and the old actor Kikuo Hasegawa really made me feel for them.
The movie itself pays respect to a lot of aspects of Japanese culture and Shinto belief, but I'd still see it as an outside perspective. We take a glimpse at Japan through the eyes of a foreigner, who has lived there for quite some time, but is still trying to figure out a lot of things.
And can I say I just love Brendan Fraser as an actor?! You can see he put a lot of effort into portraying this character and trying to help viewers understand the motives behind people using these services.
In the end to me the message was:
Everybody needs somebody who's on their side.
I believe everywhere in the world people are in need of companionship, it just seems only in the Japanese culture this longing is being expressed in the unusual way of renting a person. But just because it is a service that comes with a financial transaction, does it mean it's not real?
Overall a quiet, sometimes funny, and very touching story about people and loneliness.
My critisism
The story telling in itself was very westernized, if you watched a lot of Japanese movies you will know. It's mostly in the little details or how things are resolved in the end. Japanese movies of this kind tend to leave more open endings and room for interpretation. I won't say more since it would be a spoiler.
Despite all the characters -apart from Brendan Fraser's- being Japanese, their actions did not seem very Japanese a lot of the time (especially in regards to skinship) and it felt simply strange how good their English was, even if they are in a big city like Tokyo. For example Brendan's character made the effort to speak Japanese really well (and great respect to the actor himself for doing that!), but then suddenly people switch back to perfect English, as if there is no need for him to even learn the language. Maybe it was done on purpose, but still it makes the characters less genuine to me, unless you gave them a backstory with a good reason for their perfect English.
What I enjoyed
The heartfelt interactions between Brendan's character and his clients and his reactions after he realized he can do something for them and they also help him in a way. The moments with the little girl Mia and the old actor Kikuo Hasegawa really made me feel for them.
The movie itself pays respect to a lot of aspects of Japanese culture and Shinto belief, but I'd still see it as an outside perspective. We take a glimpse at Japan through the eyes of a foreigner, who has lived there for quite some time, but is still trying to figure out a lot of things.
And can I say I just love Brendan Fraser as an actor?! You can see he put a lot of effort into portraying this character and trying to help viewers understand the motives behind people using these services.
In the end to me the message was:
Everybody needs somebody who's on their side.
I believe everywhere in the world people are in need of companionship, it just seems only in the Japanese culture this longing is being expressed in the unusual way of renting a person. But just because it is a service that comes with a financial transaction, does it mean it's not real?
Overall a quiet, sometimes funny, and very touching story about people and loneliness.
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