Mesen (2010)

I was captured by the lovely music (Chopin's the best, seriously!) from the very first seconds, and my beloved classical music is a constant (and very appreciated, at least by THIS reviewer) presence in this tv movie / dorama SP. Another fabulous feature of this "Mesen" aka "Gaze" is the direction, so tremendously "hitchcock-esque"; the viewers are drawn right away in the eery atmosphere of this masterfully crafted thriller/noir. Last but not least, I confess having a soft spot for Kokubu Sachiko: she hopelessly charmed me from the very first time I placed my eyes on that fascinatingly mysterious face of hers, and it's always a pleasure to see her in movies/dramas (too bad her filmography is so short, and to add insult to injury, the dorama where she has the main role are basically impossible to find, sigh...). And though I'm not Nakama Yukie's biggest fan, I have to say she's absolutely *perfect* for this part! Oh, and I almost forgot the cherry on top: part of the movie takes place in Ginzan Onsen, Yamagata...such a suggestive scenery! Well, all in all, a solid, tragic plot which could've been written by Shakespeare, terrific directing, very good acting, amazing settings and fantastic classical music throughout all of it! In my book, that's a perfect 10!

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