Reviews

Endless suffering like a river;)

Cry me a sad river, flowing through the heart of a teenager, endless in its pain, sorrow, suffering, and agony. The river runs deep within, its currents heavy with the burdens of youth.

Ren Min's portrayal of Yi Yao was absolutely phenomenal! Her facial expressions had such a depth and emotion that I was truly impressed.

Qi Ming is the most uncalled character, bro was pretty much a jerk, in the name of her childhood bestie.

Gu Sen Xi was my favourite character, he was an wholesome support to Yi Yao; I liked his character, their bonding and story line altogether.

❌ The backstory related to the main message of the movie was brushed off in flashbacks which made it extremely disappointing and confusing as I couldn't emotionally connect to the suffering of the character.

❌ Inconsistency and no proper closure to certain story lines.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie, but I wished everything wasn't so fast forwarded and was more detailed. Still worth a shot!

7.7/10

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Very cute and easy to watch

I randomly came across this movie and decided to just go ahead and watch it. I was pleasantly surprised, this movie was actually pretty good!! The acting could have been a little better, but I wasn't expecting much anyway for a high school movie. The movie keeps you thinking the whole time, it almost felt like a puzzle because they give you little clues about how the movie ends throughout the whole thing! Keep your eyes peeled so you don't miss them!!
ALSO there is a clip at the end of the credits so wait till the very end to see it!!!
Overall it's a good movie to watch on the weekend when you're chilling at home and want something light and airy to watch like I did!!

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Very funny script, excellent comedic acting with impeccable timing and a serious message.

School meals are not just school meals.
Eating is more than consuming nutrients.
Giving children food that will be good for them tomorrow, might not be the right thing for them today.

I love how teacher Amarida is so over-enthusiastic about his life passion -- and how nobody in the school bats an eye at his antics.
Ichihara Hayato's teacher is almost childlike in his joy about school meals. He dances in his seat in anticipation; his face, no, his *body* shows every emotion he feels while he's eating. Some call Ichihara's acting style pejoratively "over-acting" -- and if you do too, then you probably won't like this film much.

Like all of the great Japanese comedies, the film has an underlying message or two.
For the message Ichihara Hayato sees: "He loves what he loves and celebrates life no matter how much he's laughed at." (https://youtu.be/aOJa8KjDSA4?)

Maybe this film speaks to me more than to other people because I have been working in education in some way or other for the last 20 years, and I hear things that other people wouldn't. I hear a lot about what education should be.
If we take the "school meal" as the metaphor for the education we give to our children -- it's easy to see the parallels, right? -- they say "food for thought" in English and in German they say "das muss ich erst verdauen", if I get a hard/heavy piece of information, I'll have to digest it first.
We give the children "meals" that we think will be beneficial for them later -- which ingredients we choose, how we prepare them and how we present the meal, we should not only think of tomorrow's benefits but also if the children will even eat the meals joyfully. Why are the children who enter schools eager to learn at six years old -- why are most of those children apathetic to learning some years later? It's because we give children school "meals" that might be nutritious but don't give children joy when they consume them.

There was also a very poignant scene where a student tries to voice his opinion on the school meals in front of a whole room of powerful adults -- and not only do they not listen to him, they also laugh at him. The adult who are responsible for the children's well-being are not interested if the children are really happy. So, there's also this layer of meaning I can find in this comedy.

In conclusion, "School Meals Time Graduation" is what Japanese comedy can be when it's at its best -- very funny script, excellent comedic acting (if you like this style) with impeccable timing and a serious message.

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Funny, Action-Packed, and Fun-Filled

I want more, more, MORE! Honestly, this could’ve been so so million times amazing if this were a series but nevertheless, the movie is standalone good. The direction and execution is good. Acting is topnotch. I love the relationships and interactions of the characters. The world-building is definable. The story knows what it is and what it WANTS. If the direction is supposed to be comedic and fun, then it is served right. If the direction is supposed to be serious and dramatic, then it also served with proper justice. This is the perfect movie to watch to let your brain loose and enjoy a heart-warming antic-filled portrayal of youth, action, and life.

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"Am I a coward?"

Portrait of Madame Yuki was a strange and twisted tale from Mizoguchi Kenji. Ostensibly about male domination, it felt more like a toxic relationship based on S & M.

Yuki and her husband live apart most of the time, but have reunited over the death of the family patriarch. All that they have left is the estate she owns. Her husband has a mistress and is a wastrel with money. Yuki and her friend, Professor Kikunaka, decide to open her house as an inn in order for her to make money and become independent. The servants all believe she’s in love with the professor but their relationship always comes across as platonic, though his feelings may run deeper. Her husband isn’t afraid to bring his mistress home or even to force himself on Yuki. Regardless of how badly he humiliates her, Yuki can never tell him no. The professor tries to convince Yuki to divorce her husband, but the “demon” inside her won’t let him go even when he attempts to steal her home out from under her.

The version I watched of this film was difficult to follow at first as whoever/whatever did the translations completely messed up the English pronouns. Yuki was often referred to as him, her, or it. Plural pronouns were also used for singular people interspersed with singular ones in the wrong tense. It took a while to figure out if it was Yuki’s father or her husband’s father who died and whether it was the husband, Yuki, or himself the professor was talking about in a conversation. Other than that annoyance, the story itself was not a pleasant one. Despite the professor encouraging Yuki to be strong and stand up for herself and do the things that would make her life better, Yuki usually collapsed into a heap blubbering about how she was a coward, defeated, and not strong. Ultimately, no matter how badly her husband treated her, she could not resist whatever he did in the bedroom. Instead of embracing this part of herself or cutting ties with her husband, she chose to suffer. She always seemed to be slumped over, most likely because she was lacking a backbone.

This film was beautifully shot both indoors and outdoors. Mizoguchi certainly had an excellent eye for framing scenes. The acting was all very good, Kogure played Yuki as a pathetic creature ruled by her demons, Yanagi gave the husband a twisted sense of resentment toward his wife, and Hamada with her gum snapping duplicitous Ayako rounded out the reluctant ménage à trois. Based on the synopsis, I thought that Hamako would have a bigger role, but she was mostly relegated to the background after Yuki was introduced.

Portrait of Madame Yuki ended up being a depressing look at a woman who felt trapped by societal constraints and her own despised appetites. If you are looking for a tragic film with an open attitude toward sex (1950’s style) and are a fan of Mizoguchi’s work, this might be one to try.

*If suicide is a trigger for you, please do not watch this film. There is a lot of talk about suicide, a suicide attempt, and completion.*

13 June 2024

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Lhasa must be a city that is both familiar and unfamiliar to everyone. Perhaps it is a holy place in everyone’s heart, a place worth visiting in a lifetime. It is the center of Tibet, the heart of the roof of the world, and the farthest city from the earth. It is the place closest to the sky and the most religious place. Speaking of the city name Lhasa, it makes countless travelers yearn for it.
After Zhang Zhehan experienced frustration, he chose to ride in Lhasa to find himself.
Taking a trip to Lhasa in August, I also calmed down, threw away any distracting thoughts in my heart, and found the final destination of my soul.
I recommend this video. You can watch it when you encounter setbacks or feel irritable and find the strength to start again.

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brought light to a serious matter

although the acting was amateur, the story is good. it’s got a deeper meaning that’s surface level.

the girls in this minus the mother were the worst. and I hated that nothing actually happened to the bullies… any of them in the end.

but surprisingly we did get an hea, and you can tell it wasn’t a bromance hea.

I think it’s worth a shot to watch it.

the mom was best in all of this in the end and I’m glad he had someone on his side. well two people.

it really did bother me not one person that bullied him got anything. it was all just forgotten. and I do wish we got to see how he handled everything later on especially at school. did he stay in same school?

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The film shows us the story of an elderly woman and her autistic son, Chu-san (He's legally named Tadao, yes, but he only goes by Chu-san) and their struggles with their neighbours.

It's never sentimental about it; there's no pathos at all. It just shows the people as the are. It also never tries to explain what people are thinking or feeling, why they act the way they do -- which is especially exceptional for Chu-san. I can imagine that a lesser film would try to explain him to the "normal" people (i.e. the ausidence), either directly or through the mouth of a character.
This film does neither. It shows us how Chu-san lives his life, what is important to him and where he clashes with the world, who shows no sympathy for him at all; with the exception of the son of the neighbour family.

Following the way the story is told -- unsentimental, but with great sympathy -- the acting and editing stays natural and even understated throughout.


If you can watch this film, then I recommend you to do so!

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