This review may contain spoilers
I have to admit, I was skeptical going into this movie because I’m not a fan of student-teacher romance storylines. But somehow, this one managed to feel painfully romantic. Maybe it’s the cinematography, maybe it’s the way everything looks almost unreal, like a dream—you can forgive a lot when it’s that cinematic. But… is it really okay? That’s the question that lingered the whole time I was watching.
Plot*
17-year-old Rio is a high school student who is always the center of attention thanks to her beauty. Because of her traumatic past, she’s learned to care only about herself. Friends and boyfriends exist mainly for her amusement or gain, and she’s focused on money and fun above all else. One day, Rio takes some photos to develop and is handed the wrong envelope. Inside, she finds pictures of a man and falls for him at first sight. Determined to find him, she begins stalking him, unaware that he has been diagnosed with cancer, and the photos are essentially his death portraits. From there, the story follows Rio pursuing him while he tries to keep her at a distance.
Controversy / Thoughts:
Here’s where the movie gets complicated. Rio’s behavior can feel disturbing, she pushes and chases, sometimes aggressively, and the story romanticizes it. Her lifestyle, dating older men, living extravagantly in Louis Vuitton, is glamorized in a way that feels unrealistic and morally grey. And yes, Kouki’s illness is used to soften the situation, but it doesn’t fully justify the age gap or the way her behavior is romanticized. Watching it, I constantly wrestled with these feelings: part of me cringed, part of me couldn’t look away.
And yet… despite all that, I found myself genuinely invested. Rio’s persistence, her raw emotions, the way the cinematography captures her and Kouki, it’s hard not to get swept up in it. The movie makes you feel her heartbreak, her obsession, her hope. I hated that I was enjoying it at times, but I couldn’t help it. There’s an undeniable emotional pull here. I found myself rooting for her, for him, for them, even when logic screamed that none of this should feel romantic.
One of the things that struck me most is how exaggerated and unrealistic Rio’s life is! her sugar baby lifestyle, her outfits, the extravagance of her world. But instead of feeling shallow, it adds a certain energy to the movie. It makes her character fascinating to watch and gives the film almost dreamlike quality. Watching Rio navigate her obsession, her heartbreak, and the consequences of her choices made me reflect on the way movies can make impossible or uncomfortable things feel emotionally real.
In the end, I can’t fully say this movie is “okay” in terms of ethics or realism. But as a story, as an emotional experience, it works in a way I didn’t expect. It made me feel conflicted, moved, and strangely connected to characters I probably shouldn’t have. I disliked parts of it, and yet, I can’t deny how much it stayed with me.
This is one of those movies that will make you question what you feel and why you feel it, and somehow, that makes it unforgettable.
Plot*
17-year-old Rio is a high school student who is always the center of attention thanks to her beauty. Because of her traumatic past, she’s learned to care only about herself. Friends and boyfriends exist mainly for her amusement or gain, and she’s focused on money and fun above all else. One day, Rio takes some photos to develop and is handed the wrong envelope. Inside, she finds pictures of a man and falls for him at first sight. Determined to find him, she begins stalking him, unaware that he has been diagnosed with cancer, and the photos are essentially his death portraits. From there, the story follows Rio pursuing him while he tries to keep her at a distance.
Controversy / Thoughts:
Here’s where the movie gets complicated. Rio’s behavior can feel disturbing, she pushes and chases, sometimes aggressively, and the story romanticizes it. Her lifestyle, dating older men, living extravagantly in Louis Vuitton, is glamorized in a way that feels unrealistic and morally grey. And yes, Kouki’s illness is used to soften the situation, but it doesn’t fully justify the age gap or the way her behavior is romanticized. Watching it, I constantly wrestled with these feelings: part of me cringed, part of me couldn’t look away.
And yet… despite all that, I found myself genuinely invested. Rio’s persistence, her raw emotions, the way the cinematography captures her and Kouki, it’s hard not to get swept up in it. The movie makes you feel her heartbreak, her obsession, her hope. I hated that I was enjoying it at times, but I couldn’t help it. There’s an undeniable emotional pull here. I found myself rooting for her, for him, for them, even when logic screamed that none of this should feel romantic.
One of the things that struck me most is how exaggerated and unrealistic Rio’s life is! her sugar baby lifestyle, her outfits, the extravagance of her world. But instead of feeling shallow, it adds a certain energy to the movie. It makes her character fascinating to watch and gives the film almost dreamlike quality. Watching Rio navigate her obsession, her heartbreak, and the consequences of her choices made me reflect on the way movies can make impossible or uncomfortable things feel emotionally real.
In the end, I can’t fully say this movie is “okay” in terms of ethics or realism. But as a story, as an emotional experience, it works in a way I didn’t expect. It made me feel conflicted, moved, and strangely connected to characters I probably shouldn’t have. I disliked parts of it, and yet, I can’t deny how much it stayed with me.
This is one of those movies that will make you question what you feel and why you feel it, and somehow, that makes it unforgettable.
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