Reviews

this one pries you open.

⚠️ this review contains spoilers, albeit sometimes vaguely worded, in terms of plot and character dynamics. read at your own risk. originally posted in August of 2025. ⚠️

"of course... i'm sure that the truth, no matter what it is, isn't that frightening. what is most frightening is not knowing it."

i've been trying to watch this since 2022. parse that for a sec so you understand how everything came to a head to align and finally decide for me that now was the time

what clued me in to how much of an absolutely insane masterpiece of a film this one would be was not the cinematography (that opening silhouette. gorgeous. we begin and end where the world does) or the slightly unsettling dialogue Japanese media seems to have as its hallmark (see the entire conversation during the first eight minutes. cannot watch this with my mother under any circumstances that's for sure sksksksk). it was the moment i saw the rope snap on stage and i sat straight up in my chair bc hello. brief featuring of a multilingual production of Waiting for Godot eventually segueing into a production of Uncle Vanya is a hell of a way to tell me what the theme of this shit is don't you think. (seeing Okada Masaki enter the frame shortly after re:WFG [when my most recent reference of him is the creep in the Bad Kids remake] didn't exactly hurt now did it. DID however make me suspect his ass yet again which. well. trust your gut folks that's all i'll say on the matter)

anything that Nishijima Hidetoshi has ever been in ever needs to be watched and embedded in my brain now. i need to make it an event. lock the fuck in the amount of dramas and specials he's been in that were on my PTW but i kept getting distracted so i never got around to them (including the gay older couple j-drama that i recognized him for in the first place)? no longer. nope i refuse to allow it where the fuck have you been hiding him and why aren't there serious consequences for letting people walk around not knowing who he is. the absolute fuck. if Japan ever did a remake of My Mister and they asked for casting recs i'd put his name up for Park Dong Hoon immediately. immediately you're not getting it (i swear he laughed at one point in this film and i got so scared it sounded just like LSK. fuck). that scene with him and Okada in the car driving back from the jazz bar like it's a fucking confessional booth................. head in my hands. head in my fucking handsssssss the layers. the implications. the goddamn security camera. i could watch six more hours of those two just looking at each other and saying nothing. AND i'd give those six hours even more Oscars. God. their dynamic is insaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. pls do not get me started about Miura Toko or we will get in this car and start driving for an entire day without sleep to go to the place that does not exist anymore. iykyk

"Chekhov is terrifying. when you say his lines, it drags out the real you. don't you feel it? i can't bear that anymore."

if more multilingual (& multi-abled! shout out to Park Yoo Rim i love her and i'm so glad this was her film debut and not Ballerina. Jin Dae Yeon ily too may you forever be employed) productions of deliciously thought-provoking plays were done you would have to pry my ass out of the theatre hand to God. i would be broke as FUCK from all of the seasonal passes just heading in and out of that place like a revolving door. ain't getting no work done no assignments turned in barely eating sleeping living in the walls chewing on the electrical cords (gently. i know how hard the stage technicians have to work already) y'all about to be sick of me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tl;dr: this film said what if you most likely needed to go very badly to therapy but you didn't want to do that so instead the therapist's office became the back seat of your red Saab 900. and every day you drive to work and your dead wife speaks to you and somehow it's the infection and the lancing both. what if that happened and you had to accept that and keep on living. 10/10 i haven't even scratched the surface in this review i'm just blabbering about shit. they're driving through tunnels and over bridges and down the long long roads and i have Sting's Fortress Around Your Heart + The Lazarus Heart + Why Should I Cry For You? playing on loop in my head like a broken record. (fitting since Japan is obsessed with the man and he's supposed to be on tour there for most of September. yes i'm showing my music taste again shhhhhhh) i will never be over this. watch it NOW

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Kamen Rider Geats × Kamen Rider Revice is a crossover that does the bare minimum expected from a winter special, but rarely goes beyond that.
The strongest aspect of the movie is its fight choreography, which is well-executed, fast-paced, and designed to showcase each Rider’s suit and unique abilities. For a tokusatsu production, the special effects are also competent, featuring decent CGI, explosions, and transformation sequences that look polished and entertaining.
However, the film’s main weakness lies in its story, which is overly simple and largely unengaging. The plot functions merely as an excuse to bring characters together, without offering meaningful conflicts or exploring the contrast between the worlds of Geats and Revice. The villains are generic, their motivations underdeveloped, and the narrative unfolds in a predictable, formulaic way.
It works as light entertainment for fans, yet it is ultimately forgettable.

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Everyone should watch it once!

This is such a good movie. I believe that everyone should watch it once and once only because why are making yourself go through all that again. If you're a rewatcher, you're just inflicting pain on yourself.

I love how you can see the issues same-sex couples have legally (as this was made before the law passed) and that hit me like a truck. Especially the hospital scene. The grandma felt a little annoying.
Thongkam deserved so much better. I was rooting for him throughout the movie except for one scene at the end which disturbed me a lot. I felt bad for Jigna. I felt like he got dragged into something he didn't need to be dragged into and then had a short span of happy moments.

The mosquito net scene was just <3
I loved Thongkam's piercings and the aesthetic even when he shaved his head. Jeff and Keng looked so freaking good together.

Overall, I'd love to rate it exactly 9.9 because that 0.1 is for that ending but I don't really have that option here so I have settled for a 10 instead.

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One of the sweetest Psychopath movies ever!

Generally psychopath movies rely on a lot of tropes for a tight thriller. Murderer Report thankfully avoids most of them. It does a good job of reeling in the viewer. And the aesthetics of cinematography, background score, sparing dialogues and obviously great acting swing a home run once you're invested.
Jung Sung-il & Cho Yeo-jeong play their parts to perfection vibrating tension and the writing in-tandem sews up the mystery to keep it from getting boring. That's what the real triumph of this movie is in my opinion, the mystery and the twist, I didn't see it coming and neither will anyone because the writing throws a few red-herrings here and there.
Finally the short-time ensures no time is spent unnecessarily on a back on forth on morality which the psychopath is clearly unbothered about.

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Fun, easy and enjoyable slice of life watch

So, to start off, the main reason I’m reviewing this is that I’m a film lover and I like TWICE, but mostly it’s because one of the stills from the drama was really pretty. And yes, I do judge shows by their covers (posters).

STORYLINE:
This movie is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s also not trying to be. It has a nice, concise, and simple storyline with a well-delivered, fitting message. The film is very character-driven, as most of the enjoyment comes from the relationships between the characters—especially the high school trio. This is clearly deliberate, as the story switches between Ha Seok Jin’s character and the youthful, funny high school trio.

The balance between the youthfulness of adolescence and the doom-and-gloom of adulthood is really well done in this movie, and therefore the third act feels fitting and manages to hit you emotionally. To summarize, the storyline is nice and simple. It’s not going to have you bawling your eyes out or questioning reality, but it’s also not going to leave you bored and wondering when the movie will end.

I also want to give props to the twist in this movie. I know what you’re thinking: *“A twist? How can this movie have a twist if you just described it as a slice-of-life?”* Well, it does have a pretty well-executed twist that actually caught me off guard—I genuinely didn’t see it coming. It’s hard not to write spoilers here, but I’m trying my best to stay vague.

ACTING:
As stated previously, since the movie is quite character-driven—especially in the beginning—the relationships between the characters are very important. Overall, the cast really nails it. Dahyun, Lee Shin Young, and Yoon Seo Bin (who I’ve been referring to as the high school trio) have great chemistry, and their interactions feel natural and fun.

In contrast, Ha Seok Jin’s character is much more serious and determined to achieve his goal. Ha Seok Jin’s performance is really strong—you truly feel his determination and how his goal means more than anything else in his life. His character singlehandedly provides the more serious, “depressing” side of the movie, and he was great in the role.

Lee Shin Young’s character is very fun in this movie: outgoing and mostly responsible for the comedy and lightheartedness. I also thought he and Dahyun’s characters had nice chemistry. Dahyun and Yoon Seo Bin were also great in the movie.

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
One thing I really enjoyed was the cinematography, which isn’t surprising since what initially drew me to the movie was a still from the film. In my opinion, the cinematography is excellent. The contrast between the high school trio and the adult characters is strongly supported by the visual style.

When the high school trio is the focus, the bright, fun, and colorful look is very present. In contrast, the adult characters are shown with less saturation, duller colors, and a more “dim” atmosphere. As we approach the third act, even the high school scenes become less colorful and more muted. The locations chosen are also great: high school scenes are mostly outdoors, sunny, and surrounded by nature, adding to the sense of youthfulness, while the adult scenes are mostly indoors, poorly lit, and set against less colorful backgrounds.

OVERALL:
An enjoyable watch. It felt like the director knew exactly what they were going for and did a good job delivering it. Some of you may think it’s weird that I gave this a 7/10 if I can’t really find major faults with it, and that’s fair. For me, though, movies like this—where not a lot happens and the focus is simply on following the lives of a few characters—never rank that high personally.

If you’re a fan of slice-of-life stories, you might really love this. For me, it’s a solid 7/10.

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This film has stayed with me for a while now, and I still don't know what to write about it. I feel that this is a film with layers, but I am not sure how to put it into words -- I'll try anyway.

I am not quite sure what the film is about. Is it about gay life in the year 2000, with all that it entails? Is it about heteronormativity, and its consequences for women and queer people alike? Is it about lonely people who try to find comfort in a harsh and hectic society?
Is it about he question what a *family* is?

And I'm not sure if they put too much into the script (there are several scenes and side stories that don't advance the main plot at all, the scene where they try to mate two dogs in front of a kid is still burnt into my brain), so it's core theme isn't clear -- or if it's done intentionally, because, well, life is messy and everything is intertwined. I tend towars the latter reading, especially with the more than hectic beginning and the parallel telling of the story lines of the three main characters.

Whichever it is, for me, the most intriguing thing was not the gay couple -- their story is interesting as well -- but the three women who encounter the restriction of society's expectations in their own way.

There's, of course, the film's main character: Asako. Who has had different sexual partners in her life (not always by choice, as the film makes very clear; cw for an on-screen non-con sex scene), and is shamed by medical professionals for it. Confronted with the possibility of infertility, she tries to take desperate measures to become a mother -- outside of society's norm of marriage.

By contrast, we meet Katsuhiro's sister-on-law Yoko, who tells us that her marriage was arranged and she didn't have a choice in it. That her mother-in-law expected a grandson. Yoko has resigned herself with this kind of life, and has started to identify with it. She, like her mother-in-law, perpetuates the toxic ideas of a "good woman" and of "family". Because if she didn't, her whole life would be meaningless.

And this comes to head in a climactic scene, where both women meet and their views clash. One of the exchanges stayed with me:

Asako says: I wanted to choose a family the way you choose lovers and friends!
And Yoko replies: You don't choose your family, they are just there.

And in addition to their contrasting worlds, there's a third woman, a co-worker of Katsuhiro's, whose attempts at pursuing him become more desperate over time. She suffers not only from the expectation to marry and start a family -- her disability also makes it much harder to find a partner at all, so she latches on to the only man who treats her kindly.

Core themes aside, the film is gloriously messy. No single character is perfect here, no motivation is "green" -- even Naoya, who is a sweet man, chooses his partner not because he is in love with him, but because Katsuhiro is the one who stayed. There are many things that stay unsaid or unresolved, some character arcs never get what I would call a stopping point.
The cinematography and the side stories give the film a hectic and disrupted feeling -- and occasionally this will be contrasted with slower scenes.

While there are light-hearted scenes, which are occasionally very funny, and while the film gives us an overall optimistic outlook about three people who carve out their own space in this world, this doesn't make the film gentle or light -- it's more that we find laughter and happiness *in spite of* reality, not because of it.

I'm not sure if I *liked* the film, but it certainly stayed with me for weeks now, and that is always a good thing. If I ever have another chance to watch this again, I will definitely do so.

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English and Portuguese Review

𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞
At first glance, Maggie is a strange film, but it’s the kind of strange that works. It presents situations you don’t see everywhere, and its narrative clearly breaks away from the standard. The story isn’t linear and is built through several parallel storylines, all connected by a single theme: trust.

For me, this is the core of the film. We’re placed in situations where it’s hard to know what to believe or how to react, reflecting how difficult it has become nowadays to truly trust someone.

The protagonist goes through an experience that completely shakes the way she relates to the people around her. After that, trusting no longer feels simple. This internal change starts to affect her relationship with her boyfriend. Even though he hasn’t done anything directly wrong, the trust is no longer the same, and small situations begin to create insecurity and paranoia, slowly wearing the relationship down.

Despite this more reflective atmosphere, the film also has a very playful sense of humor, which appears in unexpected moments and helps soften the weight of the story, even with its calm pacing. The performances are very strong and feel natural, and it’s also fun to recognize several familiar actors throughout the film.

Another aspect I found really interesting is the use of metaphors throughout the narrative and how they connect to the characters’ stories. I also can’t leave out the soundtrack, which makes great musical choices and fits the mood of the film perfectly.

Overall, Maggie is a different kind of film that might not appeal to everyone right away, but it definitely encourages reflection. It talks about trust, insecurity, and how even a small lie can completely change the way we see the people around us.

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𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐯𝐨
Maggie à primeira vista é um filme estranho, mas é aquele tipo de estranho que funciona. Ele traz situações que você não vê em qualquer lugar, e a narrativa foge do padrão. A história não é linear e vai se construindo a partir de várias histórias paralelas, todas conectadas por um mesmo tema: a confiança.

Pra mim, esse é o ponto central do filme. Nos é apresentado situações onde você não sabe em que acreditar ou reagir, que hoje em dia é difícil confiar verdadeiramente em alguém.

A protagonista passa por uma experiência que abala completamente a forma como ela se relaciona com as pessoas ao seu redor. Depois disso, confiar deixa de ser algo simples. Essa mudança interna começa a refletir no relacionamento dela com o namorado. Mesmo sem ele ter feito algo diretamente errado, a confiança já não é mais a mesma, e pequenas situações começam a gerar insegurança e paranoia, até a relação se desgastar.

Apesar desse clima mais reflexivo, o filme também tem um humor bem divertido, que aparece em momentos inesperados e ajuda a quebrar o peso da história, mesmo com um ritmo mais calmo. As atuações são muito boas e deixam tudo mais natural, além de ser legal reconhecer vários atores ao longo do filme.

Outro ponto que eu achei muito interessante é o uso de metáforas ao longo da narrativa e como elas vão se ligando à história dos personagens. Também não posso deixar de mencionar a trilha sonora, que acerta bastante nas escolhas musicais e combina muito bem com o clima do filme.

No geral, Maggie é um filme diferente, que talvez não agrade todo mundo logo de cara, mas que provoca bastante reflexão. Ele fala sobre confiança, insegurança e sobre como uma mentira, mesmo que pequena, pode mudar completamente a forma como enxergamos as pessoas ao nosso redor.

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This is a film that can take you back to Taiwan in 1977

A film of great depth, depicting the heartfelt bonds of love and friendship between two men and a woman against the backdrop of Taiwan’s political unrest in 1977.
The film begins with a breezy romance, but its second half brought me to tears.
Visually, the film is exquisitely composed, capturing the spirit of its time with precision. The cast delivers performances across four languages—Mandarin, Hakka, English, and Korean—a feat of great difficulty. Its soundtrack is equally impressive, harmonizing flawlessly with the unfolding narrative.
Through exquisite cinematography, perfectly chosen music, and superb acting, this film carries viewers back in time to 1977.

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A suspenseful thriller that starts strong but loses steam in an endless cycle of chase and escape.

Midnight is proof that sometimes, survival isn’t just about skill—it’s about sheer, unexplainable luck.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

The Good

Perfect Casting Across the Board
The casting for this film was spot-on. Everyone played their role so convincingly that it elevated the entire experience. You don’t realize how much great casting impacts a movie until you find yourself bumping the rating up just because the actors got it.

Kept You on Edge… At Least at the Start
The beginning really knew how to keep you anxious. That entire first chase sequence had me gripping my seat. Every time he nearly caught her, I found myself holding my breath. It felt chaotic in the best way, like anything could happen next.

Her Deafness Was a Game-Changer
Kyung Mi’s deafness made the entire experience ten times more nerve-wracking. The way the film muted the audio at times, letting us feel her disorientation, was so well done.


The Bad
The Cat and Mouse Game That Never Ended
At first, the chase between Kyung Mi and Do Shik was gripping, keeping the tension high and the stakes intense. But as the movie went on, it became painfully repetitive. The cycle of her running, him catching her, hesitating for no clear reason, and her narrowly escaping played out over and over again. How is he always just a second too late? Is it sheer luck? The suspense turned into frustration, and by the end, I was more over-it than anxious.

Frustrating Moments of Plot Convenience
This ties directly into the endless chase loops, but the level of plot convenience in this film was wild. Jong Tak, for example, felt like one of the most useless characters second only to the police. He spent most of his screen time either running in the wrong direction or getting beat up. And don’t even get me started on the scene where Do Shik traps Kyung Mi under a chair only for her to throw sand in his face, which sends him flailing on the ground long enough for her to break free. I ask this again: how is it that he had already killed multiple people, yet Kyung Mi, who couldn’t speak or hear, managed to outsmart and evade him time and time again? It was hard to take him seriously when he kept fumbling like this.


Final Thoughts

On first watch, this movie was solid. I even gave it an 8 out of 10. Once I rewatched it, the flaws became glaringly obvious. Things that had slipped past me the first time now stood out like neon signs. There were way too many moments when she escaped when she absolutely shouldn’t have, and a whole lot of scenes that felt like filler. While I still appreciated the tension and the strong acting, the endless chase sequences felt way more repetitive the second time around.
Basically, enjoy the suspense while it lasts, because once you notice the plot holes, police incompetence, and absurd chase sequences, there’s no going back.

~~~
This one got mixed reviews from a lot of people, what did you think when you first watched? Was it as interesting as I first thought it was?

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Not as straightforward as it seems

Don’t let the poster fool you - this isn’t a straightforward horror flick at all. What you actually get is a strange, melancholy, and surprisingly romantic story about cross-species love, fate, and isolation, wrapped in a layer of folk horror and pseudo-science. It’s eerie, tragic, and oddly tender at the same time.

At its core, the film tells a story that could have been cliché - forced marriage, lovers torn apart, corrupt authority - but reframes it through storytelling and dual narratives. One version feels like folklore: mountain gods, tree spirits, and cursed weddings. The other peels back the myth to reveal something darker and more grounded - abuse of power, human trafficking disguised as ritual, and “science” gone grotesquely wrong. The constant switching between these versions keeps you hooked and slowly reshapes how you understand what really happened.

What really works is how unpredictable it is. The twists come quietly but land hard, and the all-BE ending feels brutal yet fitting. There’s no cheap catharsis here - just the lingering sense that this is how things often end in a world ruled by power and silence. The final act, in particular, turns what could’ve been a sensational reveal into something haunting and restrained, leaving you with that uncomfortable, “that’s it?” feeling that sticks long after the credits roll.

It’s also surprisingly ambitious for what looks like a low-budget web film. The director juggles sci-fi concepts, social commentary, and public-science messaging in tight spaces, almost like dancing in a phone booth - and somehow pulls it off. There’s a clear nod to early modern ideals of science and enlightenment clashing with superstition, even as the film questions whether progress truly saves anyone.

Is it polished? Not entirely. Is it weird, over-the-top, and occasionally unhinged? Absolutely. But that’s part of the appeal. In an industry that’s growing more risk-averse by the year, it’s refreshing to see something this bold even attempt to exist. Web films may be one of the last spaces left for this kind of experimentation, and judging this one too harshly feels unfair.

By the end, what stays with you isn’t the shock value, but the mood: romantic, unsettling, tragic, and quietly defiant. A familiar story told sideways - with just enough mystery to make you want to replay it in your head once it’s over.

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Light and wholesome GL that shows us the awkwardness of young love.

This movie does an excellent job of portraying the awkwardness that comes with wanting to show vulnerability and openness in your first romance, or any romance for that matter, but being dreadfully fearful of exposing yourself to others. Emotionally and physically.

The four actresses do a terrific job of portraying the effect that a friend getting a girlfriend/boyfriend can have on the dynamics of a group of friends, and the jealousy that can manifest over somebody else taking time away from your friendship with a person. I especially enjoyed Arakaki Yume's role as the '4th friend' who wasn't really involved with the main storyline but was funny and charming in a way that felt natural within the story.

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