Luly
Argentina
I actually liked this movie. I liked it for what it actually is. I'm here to offer some review appreciation that I feel it deserves.
[I should warn, there's discussion on suicide in the following review, which might be obvious given the movie, but still]
A good portion of the negative comments I'm seeing are about the fact that they were expecting something else. That's fair, it's a fair thing to add in a review or a comment, that the marketing of the movie was misleading, but I personally don't think it's the movie's fault and I consider that a bad review that is based on expectations rather than the actual movie may give a less than fair perspective to those who are interested in it. But maybe that's just me.
There are a lot of Japanese movies and dramas that deal with teenage suicide, I feel like every generation has one. Which is understandable, and even crucial, concerning the social and cultural impact that the reality of these circumstances imply. However, not all stories talk about suicide honestly, not all of them delve in what it actually means. This movie does.
I might be in the minority here, but when a plot concerns 12 teens who want to end their lives, I'm hoping there's going to be some talk about the actual characters and backstories, some depth on the reasons and the perspectives, and most of all, some empathy. It's not a murder mystery dinner party, it's an event that concerns teens taking their lives. So yes, maybe there's mystery and suspense and the plot begins with questions to be asked, but that's secondary to the actual theme threading these characters together: the fact that they all want to die.
The movie doesn't center itself on the mystery, it uses the mystery to give these characters (or some of them) the excuse to stall. To talk. To ask questions. To get to know each other. And that is a brilliant, extremely realistic method to introduce, because thinking about the future as a whole is daunting, but thinking about the next question, the next doubt, the next step, is more approachable. It actually borrows something from therapeutic methodology and transforms it into a storytelling device.
The mystery and the suspense are methods to develop the character storytelling, to set the stage and to offer the opportunity for us to know these people, know their stories and see them develop their thoughts on each other and themselves. I'd say maybe the negative is that, being a movie, there isn't a lot of room for everything, and the mystery part does take some time, in order to drive the characters to where they might end. Still, in the time-frame of a movie, I feel the balance was well done and the result is a movie that leaves you hopeful but not in a bland, unrealistic way.
My advice is: don't come into this movie expecting a murder mystery, a gore slashfest or a high school drama dynamic. I'd say this movie is a combination of Suicide Club and The Breakfast Club, to put it in a very bizarre yet understandable way. Come into this movie expecting 12 teens, 12 very different teens, confronting the idea of suicide.
[I should warn, there's discussion on suicide in the following review, which might be obvious given the movie, but still]
A good portion of the negative comments I'm seeing are about the fact that they were expecting something else. That's fair, it's a fair thing to add in a review or a comment, that the marketing of the movie was misleading, but I personally don't think it's the movie's fault and I consider that a bad review that is based on expectations rather than the actual movie may give a less than fair perspective to those who are interested in it. But maybe that's just me.
There are a lot of Japanese movies and dramas that deal with teenage suicide, I feel like every generation has one. Which is understandable, and even crucial, concerning the social and cultural impact that the reality of these circumstances imply. However, not all stories talk about suicide honestly, not all of them delve in what it actually means. This movie does.
I might be in the minority here, but when a plot concerns 12 teens who want to end their lives, I'm hoping there's going to be some talk about the actual characters and backstories, some depth on the reasons and the perspectives, and most of all, some empathy. It's not a murder mystery dinner party, it's an event that concerns teens taking their lives. So yes, maybe there's mystery and suspense and the plot begins with questions to be asked, but that's secondary to the actual theme threading these characters together: the fact that they all want to die.
The movie doesn't center itself on the mystery, it uses the mystery to give these characters (or some of them) the excuse to stall. To talk. To ask questions. To get to know each other. And that is a brilliant, extremely realistic method to introduce, because thinking about the future as a whole is daunting, but thinking about the next question, the next doubt, the next step, is more approachable. It actually borrows something from therapeutic methodology and transforms it into a storytelling device.
The mystery and the suspense are methods to develop the character storytelling, to set the stage and to offer the opportunity for us to know these people, know their stories and see them develop their thoughts on each other and themselves. I'd say maybe the negative is that, being a movie, there isn't a lot of room for everything, and the mystery part does take some time, in order to drive the characters to where they might end. Still, in the time-frame of a movie, I feel the balance was well done and the result is a movie that leaves you hopeful but not in a bland, unrealistic way.
My advice is: don't come into this movie expecting a murder mystery, a gore slashfest or a high school drama dynamic. I'd say this movie is a combination of Suicide Club and The Breakfast Club, to put it in a very bizarre yet understandable way. Come into this movie expecting 12 teens, 12 very different teens, confronting the idea of suicide.
Was this review helpful to you?
