Groundbreaking
Saw this film at a test screening. As a foreigner living in Japan, it hit me in the feels. Great performances by Chris and Chris. Showing the crosscultural experience as it really is, and LGBT without the "boys love" tropes. Japan needs more films like this!This review wants 300 characters. Is this enough?
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At the test screening in Nakano, Tokyo, one of the directors Micheal remarked that he felt “happy that viewers can view the unique lived experience of foreigners and LGBT people in Japan.” According to the directors, the film was 95% finished with music licensing being the final touches for the film.
The diversity of the story and themes is somewhat unseen in modern cinema with indie films like Aichaku having to pick up the gauntlet, doing so emotionally and with some great acting by the two leads. McCombs especially channeled the exhaustion that foreigners get when the system collapses on top of them into a powerful scene that, as someone who has been in that position millions of times, felt cathartic to see represented. The relationship between the two leads felt very raw and emotional, even if some of the setups played into Japanese tropes. Though to be fair, the film was set in rural Japan where those less-than-modern tropes still flourish.
Aichaku is a heartfelt indie film that has something for everyone, even those outside the LGBT community.
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