The acting: It's beyond the perfection, i was so inmersed in the movie, they were perfect in their roles, all the cast was amazing, I hated the parents and it was a movie that I'll never forget (because it was perfect)
The music was fine, nothing that I'll remember forever
Rewatch value: I have seen this movie 3 times and I'm not a person who likes to rewatch dramas or movies.
Overall: if you have a good cast, little bizarre things that are typical in japanese movies, two leads with a dysfunctional family then JACKPOT! If you're looking for a good movie you must see it, you're not to wast your time
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This film is not for everyone. If you're looking to be entertained, don't expect. It's an emotional roller coaster of a mindfuck, for the lack of a better word. It's a dark coming-of-age story. Not your wishy-washy type. It's just keeps driving down and down and down. (But does have a light at the end of the tunnel.) For a 2-hour feature of violence, madness and despair, it's an exhausting watch. One that drags on and on and on and you just want to put these characters out of their misery. But Sono captures these daily struggles with graphic scenes, staggering images and in-your-throat drama that sometimes seem to hyperbolic for your own taste. But effective in delivering the message.
It's a film about the youth. About brokenness. About a bleak future. Although it depicts a rather negative image of Japan and the burden of the youth to paint a future for the emotionally broken adults even if that future is bleak. This negativity is meant to allow viewers to reflect a broken system. Sono's symbolism, repetitive images, long cuts and foreshadowing makes for a masterful play on this rather dark and tragic tale. The music/soundtrack is playful. It's flirts with the cinematography and blends in so well. The low sounds echo that of the tragic story and the catastrophe left by the March 2011 incident. This is a tragedy. Even the bubbly, laughing Keiko (played by Fumi Nikaido) is also dragged into the hellhole.
Shota Sometani (husband of Academy Award Best Supporting Actress nominee, Rinko Kikuchi who is 10 years his senior) and Fumi Nikaido (both have also worked in other films together before and after this one; hence, the undeniable chemistry between the two) are versatile and experienced actors show why they deserve their Marcello Mastroianni Award. Sometani 's performance as a angst-ridden Sumida is a tour de force. It's difficult to believe he plays a 14-year-old character. It's sickening and pitiful as much as it's admirable to watch him. Despite keeping a stone face, it's acting that's not dead fish. The screaming, the mere falling down, the rolling in dirt, the crying in the rain, it's all delivered with such extreme clarity. Nikaido is amazing as well. But like what I said about her in "My Man", she has this innocence that's scary and I also feel that here. But she adds an edge to her acting, there is more tears and that actually complements Sometani's "zombie" character.
The underlying social commentary about a sickness prevalent in society is the film's most important giveaway.
It's the desire of youth, seen as the hope for the future to do good. Even if they can't do good for themselves, they'll do it for society because that's what we're expected to do right? Adults mess it up and we have to find ways to fix it. Adults run away and we have to solve it even if we ourselves also want to run away. That's what Sumida is truly running away from. That's why he wants to be ordinary. That's why he just wants to be normal.
I know this is not a romance but Sumida's bleakness is complemented by Keiko's optimstic nature even if her love is a masochistic, almost obessessive one, there's still a tinge of light in it as she pushes Sumida forward. A distorted version of a manic-pixie dreamgirl you could say.
But as such, it luads more instead, to be hopeful. As Sumida shouts, "Don't give up!" Have a dream!" Yes, it's portrayed tragically, the entirety of the film is but it also provides you a resolution at the end. Thus, this film being Dylan Storm's favorite (taking a line from it to justify his action) misses the take and point that it wants to deliver.
P.S. The recitation of Villon's "Ballade" of the characters is perfect. Of course, the whole poem isn't recited but it carries a meaning that the film has. It's even said by one of the characters. "I know everything but myself." For a film about loss, future and tragedy, it's difficult to find who you really are at the end of the day. Or if you ever will.
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Let's start off by complimenting the well done ending. It often happens that people mess up movies near the end by not really including a conclusion or just thinking of some terrible plot ideas, shooting it badly and wrapping it up. The ending of Himizu had a motivational effect; personally it was the best part of the movie where the acting really shined.
One genre that refers to the movie is drama. I don't know why and how to describe it but it just didn't get to me. I usually end a drama-ish movie with a heavy heart or tears or whatever, but this movie just left me frustrated sometimes. Even though I acknowledge each actor I can't even say how exaggerated their acting was at some parts. The acting wasn't entirely bad, the main characters were surely fine enough, but many factors made the movie less enjoyable.
For example the story. The story is just all over the place throughout the movie. Scenes often end abruptly and you are left with no conclusion. It just doesn't feel completed? It's rather messy. What is being said about the life of the other characters (the people at his boat house) and what happens to them near the end --- nothing mentioned. What happens with the family from the girl--- nothing mentioned. All they focus on near the end is the relationship between the girl and the boy.
I was interested in some proper information but I all I got were too many repetitive exhausting violent scenes. It was just overall (kind of subliminally) frustrating.
The story just took a complete turn at some point and became weird as heck. And weird doesn't have to be bad, there are some good weird movies out there and I'm definitely up for it, but this was just so unsatisfying and bad weird. They probably added the complete twist to shock and give an emotional impact - but to be honest it didn't reach me.
The movie has potential - that's why it's either a hit or miss depending on your personal preferences.
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This movie is breathtaking. And I literally mean it. It's not breath taking in a beautiful, light-hearted, but in a shocking way.
Quite a few times while watching it I could feel my heart being clenched in an ice cold fist and streaming tears or a plain expression of shock or disbelief following it.
It reminded me of another Japanese movie called "Visitor Q" in a sense that I thought to myself "This is so f***ed up... this movie is seriously f***ed up..." multiple times through out it, but unlike "Visitor Q" there is no or close to no comical approach to all this mess.
So why do I say that this movie is so "wrong"? Without spoiling too much of it I'll just say this: I saw this as a story of a kind boy who is trying to move through life but is horribly maltreated, who despises himself and who has been repeatedly told that he would be better off dead. A boy that has seen mostly only the dark side of the life and who has not been shown what love and compassion is. And if that wouldn't be enough it seems like life just keeps throwing rocks and laughing at him. Everything that happens seems so horribly wrong. And he is not the only one that is made fun of by the destiny.
I can not say anything else without spoiling the show, but let's just say that the unfairness of life makes this movie so brilliant yet shocking.
The acting was astonishing. I don't understand how such young people can cope with such complicated roles and act out everything so perfectly. Mad props for them. It made the story convincing and realistic.
As for the music: I loved it. Classical music was played though out the whole (i think. Or at least I noticed only the classical pieces) movie and it gave some extra grimness to it. Also it helped to build up the tension where it was needed and filled the episodes with no dialog perfectly.
Though I'm not sure if I will ever watch this movie again. It was great. Impressive. Emotionally heavy. But too crushing for me. It left a deep impression on me, but it would feel too heavy and exhausting to watch it again... At least at the moment. Just like a Korean movie "The Crucible". It is brilliant, I loved it, but even after a few months I still cannot re-watch it.
Overall I'm giving it a 10. A grim masterpiece.
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The script is fantastic, just like his direction. The film is hard to watch, and there are times when you don't understand what's going on, but it is breathtaking, anyway. The ending was very emotional, and I'll never forget it.
The acting was OUTSTANDING. Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido are two of the best actors I've ever seen. Their roles were very complicated, but they still gave brilliant performances. The rest of the cast is great too.
The music was also incredible. The score was BEAUTIFUL. It was perfect for this film.
I also have to say that the cinematography was astonishing, probably the best I've seen in a japanese film so far.
Overall I have to give it a 10, because I think Himizu is an outstanding film. I recommend it to everyone who's a fan of Sion Sono's work.
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This review may contain spoilers
This movie will go down as one of the greatest movies I’ve ever watched
The message “don’t give up” could never be more important to me then at this moment. This movie was really so well written and impactful. It was so wonderful to see a character struggle with such realistic, overwhelming and hopeless situations and not give up. This movie has such an important message, to have a person chose to not give up and turn himself in is such a difficult decision one can make.I am at a really hard point in my life and I have so many problems that I need to fix and it is so hard not to give up. Because of that I don’t think it is likely that I will watch any other movie that will touch me as personally as this one did.
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This review may contain spoilers
Your mind is sick now. You have more choices than you can choose from.
Himizu imo is mostly about nihilism, trauma, and persecutory delusion.Sumida's distorted outlook on the world perceives an overflow of disastrous consequences if everyone's dreams were to be realized in this small world, that it's okay to not be special, that he shouldn't change the status quo himself and live as if he had never been born; a 'temporary' life.
His familiar trauma through his mother's abandonment and mental illness gives birth to a relentless, stalking monster that grasps at his own mortality, eventually leading him into patricide, vigilantism, self-destruction.
Within this small, monotonous, and confining world, those around him adopt a different mentality. They possess aspirations and the determination to pursue them. Among them is Keiko, a girl in his class, who ardently attempts to shake Sumida from his perilous mindset. Gradually, a transformation ensues as he begins to find purpose in his life - the aspiration to do what is right, for once. Yet, the definition of "right" becomes a complex question. Who holds the moral high ground? Who gets to dictate such judgments?
Sumida's belief in purging the "bad guys" around him stems from his conviction that it will liberate him from his sins and trauma. Obsessed with achieving freedom and reclaiming the image of a virtuous individual, he embarks on extreme measures, driven by a lifetime of self-perceived insignificance.
What I love most about this film is that it ends on a hopeful note rather than its manga counterpart.
However, I will say that despite Sono's captivating directing & the immersive ost, the manga by Minoru Furuya captures this story's themes way better.
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Story is about life after earthquake, how strongly it affected characters and their continuing story. It was intense and somewhat disturbing but comfortably strange and captivating. Story hols the power to make watcher feel some kind of loneliness.
The acting was beyond the perfection, i was so inmersed in the movie. The cast were perfect in their roles, like they would tell their own story. I could even say that we watchers are witnesses of strangers lives and looking at them from a side. They showed perfect " don't act your character, BECOME the character". In few words all the cast was amazing and they did their job beyond good.
I can't say anything much about OST because I was caught too much in the movie itself.
Definitely recommend to watch this movie.
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To be fair about this movie the story isn't cliche at all. The comment said the story felt so real, but the question is which reality and whose. Stories of natural disasters always have hope otherwise people won't be able to move on and start over. In this movie i only saw darkeness. He viewed a world of misery and violence and i must add craziness too.
As for the acting i thought the main leads did what they were asked to and with feelings too. Although they are young they acted realy good. But the dialouge felt weird and insane.
I really don't want to be harsh on the movie but that's what i felt and i ghave to be honest about it...For me i'll never think of watching it again and i wouldn't recomment it at all..
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I understand other people enjoyed this movie, I did not. I'm sorry if this bothers you but it’s my opinion. To elaborate, I think the story of a group of people dealing with life after the devastating earth quake and tsunami has great potential.
The story, in short, features a boy trying to make a living form himself, he is stuck in a dysfunctional family and harassed/supported (depending on who's perspective) by a girl in a similar situation.
unfortunately, the story telling doesn't quite make this movie stand out, as it really should in my opinion. because the 2011 tragedy really deserves a great movie dedicated to it.
However, this film is filled with people yelling at each other and it leaves no impact, in fact it becomes rather boring after a while. They also just keep throwing punches while they’re at it. the music could have been another superb element, regrettably, most of the sound you'll hear is a loud buzzing to signify some type of overwhelming, unease or omniscience.
The whole progression of the story feels incohesive and down right chaotic. I am leaving this low rating because to me this movie was unbearably bad. And I decide to watch it based on its rating and the story description in the first place. As I said, I stopped watching around 40 minutes in.
I think this movie is overrated on this website.
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