Extremely gripping, eerie thriller, with masterful tension built-up, superb cinematography, framing and music, and a brilliant use of the antithesis between the bright idyllic scenery and the dark, twisted rural village and its inhabitants. Despite the brutal, disturbing and triggering themes, this was an absorbing character-driven story with captivating performances (what can I say about child actress Shimizu Kokone and her enigmatic role!), many intriguing grey-to-total-black characters, and more mysteries than revelations. A challenging experience, even for the strong-hearted.
The love story was sweet and heartwarming, Michan's journey of denial, grief and acceptance through this allegoric, supernatural approach was so heartbreaking, but some things felt too unrealistic and difficult to digest. Really mixed feelings about this.
Not as fast-paced and suspenseful as season 1, but equally intriguing and well-written - and beautifully acted. With more intriguing mystery and fantasy elements, heartwarming and heartbreaking stories with a proper closure, interesting characters and subplots, and a welcomed possibility of another successful season on the way, this was definitely a rewarding, bittersweet watch. Time well-spent.
Couldn't really get into their love story (I found the friendship of the trio more interesting). Either it was really below average, or I'm too old for this kind of stories - or both.
Soothing and comforting, with an intriguing blooming relationship. I'd love to see more about Kasuga, her thoughts and feelings, her backstory and daily life.
A violent, bloody yakuza heist story and its aftermath: take the money or lose the money, betray or be betrayed, kill or be killed. Great visuals, editing and music, a bit too long duration and a rather messy script. Only for yakuza genre lovers.
Bold, deep, powerful, addictive. Superb acting, beautiful cinematography, brilliant use of music, colouring, framing and metaphors. A hidden gem, highly recommended for those who want a mature, realistic and nuanced story.
A crime story in a small secluded island with a great cast, a well-built antithesis between the colourful idyllic scenery and the dark, twisted chain of lies, deceptions and motives. A bit slow-paced and not as strong as I thought it would be, but a decent watch.
A (more)bitter-(than)sweet road trip story of two estranged friends on their way to redeeming, reconciliation and new beginnings. Though a bit uneven, sometimes overly sentimental and too slow-paced, this sad story of friendship and love was an interesting watch, mainly due to the nostalgic, art-house, exquisite cinematography and colouring -as expected from a Wong Kar Wai production-, the wonderful performances and the beautifully-fitted music.
Based on a true story, this peculiar yet engaging movie was a pleasure to watch, mainly due to the great sismance of the dancers, as well as Aoi Yu: how can someone not become a fan of this talented creature after watching her dance?
Perhaps I was expecting too much from this movie adaptation, having Abe Hiroshi playing Yasuo, or maybe the whole beauty of this wonderful family story, with its wonderful depiction of father-son love and bonding, couldn't fit in this condensed version. Not that it was bad, far from it, but it felt more cheesy and overdramatic than the drama.
A gentle, beautiful family story centred around three half-sisters, their grieving, their confronting, communicating and reconciliating with their families, their bonding and finally coming to terms with their father.
A bittersweet coming-of-age story, almost documentaristic, depicting the emotional turmoil of a young girl and her family just before she leaves their isolated island to attend high school in a big city. Full of beautiful rural island scenes and cute little kids playing and singing wonderful traditional songs with their sanshins, this was an interesting and touching film.
An epic historical production, beautifully shot and acted, but too long and too heavy on the dialogues that is was sometimes hard to follow. Not for everyone, not an easy watch, but rewarding.
Not as good as its prequel, but still entertaining. This story was darker, more focused on the warfare than the characters, and many likable side-characters were missing.
With the impeccable Koreeda Hirokazu's slice-of-life signature, this drama was a breath of fresh air: sweet, light-hearted, colourful, poetic and very soothing. Ethereal cinematography full of warmth and simplicity, wonderful settings and lavish wardrobes, vivid characters with natural acting, and an extraordinary portrayal of the training and lifestyle of a Maiko House. A tribute to friendship, as well as to food preparation - how powerful and comforting they can be... Highly recommended!
A healing story of an aqua-phobic philosophy professor through swimming lessons from an agoraphobic, strict but caring instructor and some sharp-tongued elderly ladies. With a great balance between comedic and emotionally charged moments, some very powerful scenes and lines, and nice chemistry between the cast, this was a funny as well as heartwarming watch.
A crisp story of a lonely woman trying to find human connection and healing from her traumas and emotional holes. Peculiar storytelling, quiet and mundane filming, and slow pacing through bits of her, and the characters around her, life that could have been more engaging and consistent, never fully answering all questions imposed.
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Despite the brutal, disturbing and triggering themes, this was an absorbing character-driven story with captivating performances (what can I say about child actress Shimizu Kokone and her enigmatic role!), many intriguing grey-to-total-black characters, and more mysteries than revelations.
A challenging experience, even for the strong-hearted.
With more intriguing mystery and fantasy elements, heartwarming and heartbreaking stories with a proper closure, interesting characters and subplots, and a welcomed possibility of another successful season on the way, this was definitely a rewarding, bittersweet watch.
Time well-spent.
Either it was really below average, or I'm too old for this kind of stories - or both.
I'd love to see more about Kasuga, her thoughts and feelings, her backstory and daily life.
Great visuals, editing and music, a bit too long duration and a rather messy script.
Only for yakuza genre lovers.
Perfect for a weekend watch.
Superb acting, beautiful cinematography, brilliant use of music, colouring, framing and metaphors.
A hidden gem, highly recommended for those who want a mature, realistic and nuanced story.
A bit slow-paced and not as strong as I thought it would be, but a decent watch.
Though a bit uneven, sometimes overly sentimental and too slow-paced, this sad story of friendship and love was an interesting watch, mainly due to the nostalgic, art-house, exquisite cinematography and colouring -as expected from a Wong Kar Wai production-, the wonderful performances and the beautifully-fitted music.
Not that it was bad, far from it, but it felt more cheesy and overdramatic than the drama.
Full of beautiful rural island scenes and cute little kids playing and singing wonderful traditional songs with their sanshins, this was an interesting and touching film.
This story was darker, more focused on the warfare than the characters, and many likable side-characters were missing.
sweet, light-hearted, colourful, poetic and very soothing.
Ethereal cinematography full of warmth and simplicity, wonderful settings and lavish wardrobes, vivid characters with natural acting, and an extraordinary portrayal of the training and lifestyle of a Maiko House.
A tribute to friendship, as well as to food preparation - how powerful and comforting they can be...
Highly recommended!
With a great balance between comedic and emotionally charged moments, some very powerful scenes and lines, and nice chemistry between the cast, this was a funny as well as heartwarming watch.
Peculiar storytelling, quiet and mundane filming, and slow pacing through bits of her, and the characters around her, life that could have been more engaging and consistent, never fully answering all questions imposed.