Reviews

Short fantasy movie super impactful, left me with a deep lasting impression

This movie is apparently a shorter new take (with a gender swap) of the original movie which I have not seen. I'm truly impressed at how in only 31 minutes this movie managed to convey a super compelling story. I loved the fantasy aspect of it, it is very well exploited with a strong narrative. I found the overall scenario properly gut-wrenching with an interesting and rather grey morale.

There are only 4 actors in this movie and their performances are pretty good: especially for Ding Cheng Xin, who has maybe the most room for range for acting and is very convincing in his role.

I enjoyed the music as well as the production value. It does not feel cheap. The special effect and make-up are far from perfect and could have been scarier but overall I found it adequate.

I would recommend this to people looking for a short wuxia / fantasy movie. Given the way it manages to convey so much in so little time, it is totally worth taking the time giving a shot to this gut-wrenching tale. The story is so interesting and has so much potential that I cannot help feeling greedy and to wish that it would have been a full length duration movie.

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An unusual love triangle

Sukitomo (I Like Tomo – スキトモ), the LGBT+-themed romantic drama and shounen-ai film by Japanese filmmaker Mitshuhiro Mihara, portrays that confusing time of youth in which relationships become imprecise and the balance between love becomes precarious. , friendship and family are broken.
The film, from 2007, proposes an unusual love triangle between the serious and responsible young man Aoi Tomokazu, a member of a boxing team and who is in his third year of university, Yoshiko Saitō, his best friend and two years younger, whom he sees as a little brother - although he feels something more for him than a simple friendship - and Tomokazu's sister, Aoi Misao (Komatsu Airi), who is also romantically attracted to Tomokazu and is jealous of his relationship with Yoshiki.
After his performance in 'Boys Love', of the same film genre, Takumi Saitō, star of the 'Prince of Tennis' musicals, now in the role of Aoi Tomokazu, continues in this film challenging perceptions of love, friendship and the sexuality. As in 'Boys Love', Saito acts alongside Aiba Hiroki, one of the co-stars of 'Prince of Tennis', the latter playing Yoshiko Saitō.
Released on January 13, 2007, the film was screened for the first time at the 16th Rainbow Reel Tokyo, an LGBT-themed film festival held annually in the Japanese capital, 'Sukimoto' tells us the evolution of relationship, from childhood to early youth, between the future boxer and the boy Yoshiki, who was hit by a truck while playing with Tomokazu and suffered an injury to his right leg.
This injury never fully heals and consequently he limps when he walks, a fact for which he believes Tomokazu feels guilty and treats him well for it. Yoshiki must deal not only with Misao's attempts to keep him away from his brother, but also with his own conflicting feelings.
The role played by Takumi Saitō is coherent in embodying the role of the young man so busy in boxing that he has not realized the attraction that Yoshiki and Misao feel towards him. I like his performance in this movie. I've seen some of his other work, but I really admire his art after watching 'Sukimoto'.
Hiroki Aiba also achieves naturalness playing the disabled friend in love with his best friend and neighbor, and Airi Komatsu as the 14-year-old sister who is jealous of her brother's relationship with Yoshiki, since she also has loving feelings for him.
Also convincing is the performance of Mizuki Tsuruoka in the role of Arisa Andō, Misao's best friend, who, despite her young age, has been able to understand not only Misao's loving attraction towards her brother, something she considers unhealthy, but also Yoshiki's love for Tomokazu.
The title of the film, which addresses themes such as friendship, love, family and fraternal relationships, is a play on words; «suki» (スキ), which translated from the Japanese language means "to like", and «tomo» (トモ), which refers to the name of the main character. Therefore, the name of the work could be literally translated as "I like Tomo."
With the production of Kawashiro Kazumi and Kataoka Masahiro, the director called on the award-winning Japanese photographer and director of photography Ashizawa Akiko to translate the script written by Kanasugi Hiroko into images.

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Love can come at any time in our life

I watched this movie to detox myself a bit from a disappointing drama I ‘ve been watching in the past few days, also recommended by another MDL user, what can I say, really a happy breath of fresh air...

It's a really pleasantly well-made romantic comedy that, without saying anything new, joyfully succeeds in engaging the well-prepared viewer for its two-hour duration (which is not particularly heavy at all, however).

It is in the choice of the main players that the movie's success is most evident; telling a love story with two mature characters, wonderfully mature I would say, but at the same time still young in their hearts and at the end of the day simply desperate to have someone at their side to love, like all of us...

The story is of disarming simplicity and the plot mechanics are those well established in the classic Korean rom-com: the main character, with his hilarious facial expressions, lost in his foibles and fixations, with an absolutely absurd and decidedly unhealthy job, the usual circle of colleagues/acquaintances more deranged than him, as well as the bothering element of his brother; on the other side, our beautiful Kim Hee Sun, a messed-up single mother with a teenage daughter, obviously problematic...

Rather than the usual clash-meeting between two completely antithetical entities, the most interesting element is surely the lengthy courteousness on her part, which allows the staging of several rather amusing scenes related to the total clumsiness of our male subject

But it is precisely in these phases of rapprochement of the two lonely souls, in this gradual process towards a state of happiness, that I found myself most satisfied, in that desire to attempt to experience the same joyfully adolescent emotions that can be found in so many dramas or movies, more or less good; that attempt at normality that leads us to think: "Why can't we experience the same joys too!"

Of course, there are the obvious lucky coincidences and even several innocent ingenuities that push the story towards the most obvious ending, thanks also to a supporting cast that is functional to its role, but in the end you are immediately inclined to cheer for the two heroes and therefore we welcome that bit of magical coincidence that leads to the happy end, just to have a Romantic Heart and believe/hope that love can come at any time in our life

The rating is a perhaps generous 7.5/10, but in cases like this it is OK to be kind...

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I wish this was a series instead

Tell The World I Love You tells a story about the latchkey youth of Bangkok, featuring a narrative littered with drugs, violence and endless cycles of revenge.

The film has no intimacy scenes. But somehow, it still manages to be rather romantic. It tells a story of various characters, each coping with their own loneliness and finding a reason to live (and die) because of other people.

I love that much of the film is drenched in a moody aesthetic, serving as a constant visual reminder of the characters’ loneliness. I wish this was a series instead so that they could spend more time fleshing out the story and the difficult/ambiguous life choices made by individuals.

Although expressed in different ways, “escape” is a recurring theme for these teenagers.

When Keng realises he’s eligible to apply for a scholarship to go to China, life is imbued with new meaning as another life path opens up for him.

The irony of Tai's love is that as he helps Keng escape his current circumstances, he finds himself trapped instead.

And for Boang, whose only family member is his grandmother, he has lived an aimlessly bleak life until Keng showed up. Keng might just be his way out.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/04/15/tell-the-world-i-love-you-2022-movie/

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The story is about a mom slowly getting mentally derailed because she is physically & mentally drained as she just gave birth, so it's understandable. But the way they explained her hallucinations made it seem "Oh! This was just like the parasite (2019) all along, but horror". They could've just left it open-ended to make it seem like she was actually hallucinating because of her unstable mind.

The horror was okay. There was a decent number of jump scares and there was only one that fazed me because of the fast cut, like I twitch my head back a little. I watched this in 2x by the way.

The acting is good, but it could've been better, like as the mom was slowly getting cuckoo in the head they could've added some makeup to her face to show that she's really getting depressed.

The Music was okay. It did its job to elevate the horror vibes.

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A Very Great Movie

I waited for this and Thank god it delivered. The moment I saw this uploaded on *cough* sketchy sites *cough*. I immediately stopped everything that I was doing and sat down to watch it.

The story is predictable and formulaic, but hold on! Let me explain. I don't really read the synopsis. None at all. I like going in blind whenever I watch something and just let the story do its job. Now, what I mean by "predictable and formulaic" is that the way the story is structured already follows a blueprint that I'm familiar with because when I watched it just 5-10 minutes in, I was like "Ahh, so the movie is gonna about the struggles and the challenges that they have to face, like this and that" just from how they are speed running the build-up on how they become a couple in the beginning. And I didn't mind that just because I've seen it being similarly done before a thousand times doesn't mean I'm not going to enjoy it. I still kept watching because I was curious how they gonna do it. Even though I already called it what the movie is going to be about, I was still wrong when it came to the story beats because how they did it is pretty unpredictable. I even cried at some scenes for how impactful it was.

When it comes to the characters, I felt the same. It's heavily focused on the main couple. They're readable, but I love their chemistry. Even though the movie doesn't tell, it is more about just showing you what it can do. And that's how you know that the actors did a great job of conveying the thoughts and emotions of the characters through their acting. I was so engrossed by the character writing that my attention is sucked in and the main couple are Writer and Artist, basically my 2 aspirations. Also, oh my god!!! Zhang Jing Yi's hair😭😭😭 The stylist has to go to jail for that!!! Thank god it got fixed after the time skip. ML is handsome and cute, I wish they'd added some extra details to his illness to make it more relatable and scary.

While watching this, I kept pausing every time just to commentate and analyze what just happened, as if I had someone beside me, I might as well have made a reaction video at that point and posted it online.

Overall, a very great movie, despite the story structure being familiar to me. I highly recommend it.

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A small student work with immense power

The first thing that catches the viewer's attention is seeing a boy in a school uniform shaving his head with a cut that is too deep, almost releasing blood, while crying inconsolably. This is what Juan Pablo Pineda III, the director and screenwriter of the LGBT+-themed romantic short film 'Coming Out' (Pua Iyam, for its title in Tagalog), wanted to convey, since it is the true essence of the film.
Ken, a Chinese-Filipino teenager, has known his true identity for a long time, but has not dared to reveal it out of fear. However, reading a book titled "Pua Iyam" gives him the courage to confess his love to Miko, his best friend since childhood.
Going back to my opening words and the first scene of the film, Ken cries and shaves his head because he has been rejected. And Miko, although she also loves Ken, knows that her family and society will not understand them and "I am not prepared to admit what I am", referring, of course, to his homosexual condition.
If I say this it is not to issue spoilers, but to express in words what the short film subtly lets us see: the fear that the two boys suffer of discrimination and rejection by society due to their sexual orientation, which is why They feel insecure about their identity and avoid revealing it to others and to themselves. They prefer to suffer and make the person they love suffer before recognizing and loving themselves.
The objective of the short is to make a complaint against homophobia, that is, the aversion towards homosexuality or against homosexual people, and its eternal companion, internalized homophobia.
In the final scene, while Ken and Miko are playing after reconciling as friends, they both stare at the camera. Could this be a sign of hope? Will Philippine society ever come to respect all its members equally, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation?
Starring Rowi Du as Ken (who also produces, edits and sounds) and Raphael Cruz as Miko, the film had its world premiere at the Far Eastern University (FEU) SinePiyu Film Festival - Manila, in which it won the Awards for Best Film, Best Performance for Du, Best Direction and Best Poster in the Black Reel category.
The film follows his journey through different Philippine film events, such as the 7th. CineSB: Indie Un-Film Festival of the University De LaSalle College of Saint Benilde, in Manila, and the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and wins in the categories Best Direction for Pineda and the Gold Award for Best Film for the team of production by IndieGo Pictures, and the Awards for Best Production Design and Technical Excellence in the Sibol Category of CineSB 7: The Main Installation of DLS-CSB.
The film takes home the award for Best Cinematography and another special mention from UP Cinema's Piling Obrang Vidyo jury's decision, and obtained the Cardenal Bronze Film Award, Best Editing and Best Photography in the intercollegiate category of CineMapúa 2018.
The film is also selected as part of the 2017 CineMakulay Film Festival, the 29th Gawad CCP for Alternative Film and Video of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. It is also exhibited as part of Eksena 2017 organized by Dalubhasaan ng mga Umuusbong na Mag-aaral ng Araling Pilipino (DANUM) DLSU.
After winning the awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 9th Largabista Film Festival in Tacloban City, Leyte, and a special mention for gender sensitivity at the First Palawan International Film Festival, the short film 'Pua Iyam' continues its journey beyond the Philippine borders and reaches the United States and China.
On North American soil, 'Pua Iyam' is screening as part of the "Queer Stories" section of Diwa Filipino Film Showcase, the film festival held in cooperation with the annual Pagdiriwang Filipino Festival, celebrating the Filipino spirit wherever it resides by sharing Filipino and Filipino-American stories with the community of Seattle, United States.
And then it competes for international recognition at the PRIDE Film Festival in Shanghai, China, and the Beijing Queer Filmfest, in the capital of the Asian giant.
If I list so many awards and achievements it is not to waste words, but to highlight how this small work, carried out by a Communication student from the Far Eastern University (FEU), in Manila, has immense power to make audiences reflect on the need to advance against heteropatriarchal discourse.

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Great Acting and Story about the Struggles of Refugees

I really like this movie. I think this is the best movie of Song Joong Ki since 2012's Werewolf Boy. He always acts well, but I really appreciated his acting here among his recent works. Choi Sung Eun is also really excellent. she has matured in her acting since I saw her in Sound of Magic way back 2022. Seo Hyun Woo, Kim Sung Ryung, and Jo Han Chul are also memorable. It's a good movie that shows the struggles of refugees trying to survive in a foreign country. I said earlier that SJK is really excellent, that's because he acted really well how a person in really bad conditions should act even though he himself has been always comfortable in life.

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All style, no substance...

What a beautiful film!!! Literally so beautiful: the cinematographer deserves all the praise! But once you get your fill of aesthetics, what remains? Nothing much, unfortunately!

The plot is basic: a game of cat and mouse between a policewoman (did they exist in late Joseon?) and an assassin while investigating a case of counterfeit money and corruption in high places. They meet a few times, the sparks fly and then they are in love?!?!? I guess... But the case she's investigating comes between them.

The film is a mixture of genres and very often that mixture is not correctly dosed. First of all there is random comedy: a lot of it in the first half of the film. Unfortunately that comedy is not a very funny one: cringy and full of unconvincing and exaggerated grimaces. Secondly, the action scenes were expertly choreographed. So much so they were not action but dance scenes: beautiful and ultimately, for the most part, empty of action. And finally, the romance was sorely lacking chemistry for me. And for that I mainly blame the actress Ha Ji Won who cannot act to save her life. She tries so hard but it is just too awful to watch. I kept closing my eyes and cringing inside so much especially when she was playing the "crazy bitch" at one moment: so much grimacing, twisted mouth and googly eyes tells me someone is trying too hard but the result is disappointing. Kang Dong Woo, the Sad Eye assassin, was almost just as bad: a brooding silent type. Opposites attract and clash, the sparks are supposed to fly: I could not see one single one!

The second half of the film takes place in the winter so there is snow falling constantly throughout this second half. That must have been expensive and difficult to film though the result is stunningly beautiful.

The relationship between the policewoman and her boss was almost a father/daughter one and i wish they explored and gave us more details about it. The same goes for the relationship between the assasin and the Minister: what hold did he have ove the young man. The characters are just superficially sketched.

The praise goes to the director, the cinematographer and the choreographer who decided to paint a beautiful moving picture in which they succeeded. But I need substance as well: a tightly written story and some chemistry between the leads. The music was all over the place: going from classical western music, circus music, tango, modern beats and more ordinary original music. The background score during the final battle between the police force and the assassin was poignant and tugging at heartstrings. The final credits song was really nice.

What about the ending? Did he survive the battle and they live happily ever after now? Is the final scene just a memory or the confirmation of him surviving and now working with the police? I don't know and frankly, by the end of the film, I was so fed up and bored that I did not care anymore!

I do apologize to the fans for not seeing things they love about this movie....

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trashy/throwaway film

I stumbled upon this randomly and from the poster alone, I already know that it's going to be a throwaway film. Still, I decided to give it a watch since I'm bored.

The story is pretty much bog-standard. I love watching trashy Films because I want to know what bad and good media are. The Fighting scenes are good, paired with good camera directing. Whoever the Art Director and Choreographer in this film are, props to them since I can see the vision that they want to show. It amazed me because my expectations going into this film were so low that it shocked me. It came out of nowhere.

The characters are entertaining. They didn't make me laugh, but I could see someone laughing at the things that they were doing. Both the FL and Antagonist FL stood out to me because of their emotional scenes. I felt the emotion. The ML, I wouldn't say I'm a fan, but I know him from 'Lighter & Princess' so that's a plus because I know he can do comedy. The Taoist is obviously written to be quirky. He's entertaining, loved his fighting scenes.

Overall, a trashy/throwaway film. If you're looking for a good-written story, then this is not for you. You have to turn your brain off, if you want to give this a watch or be drunk I guess. Set your expectations very low then you will find this entertaining.

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on an airplane from Incheon with maybe the love of my life...

It's a great movie with good humour. The love story could've been better. It lacked a bit of drama and character development. The ending had some good potential but it kinda missed the mark. There should've been some back and forth from the characters but it didn't. I though the actors were really good but it felt American more than Korean (lack of back and forth).

Sidenote: sitting next to me, in the airplane, was an awesome girl from Japan. She was a breath of fresh air. Her personality was incredible. We clicked a lot even if her English was terrible. I have known a lot of women in the Europe and America so I know a good quality woman when I see one. Unfortunately, she was only 16 and I'm much older...

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Motorcycle, love triangle, sexual awakening, indie cinema and for LGBT+ visibility

Who doesn't like movies that portray young loves? It is a cinematographic subgenre that has a special charm, because it is very easy to identify with the characters who experience those first tickles in the stomach and an unknown sexual attraction towards another person.
Who doesn't like movies that have the motorcycle as another protagonist, being one of those in which the good guy is better, the bad guy worse, to save the world, to chase evildoers, to escape from the abyss, and also, of course to fall in love?
Who doesn't like movies in which a guy lets the co-pilot hug his body to avoid falling off the motorcycle?
Who doesn't like movies in which the boy claims he's never hugged anyone before, and the other admits that it's also the first time he's allowed himself to be hugged by another person?
Who doesn't like movies in which from the action on the road to the connection between two people, embraced side by side, they transport us to worlds full of adrenaline, adventure and a deep love on two wheels?
But what will happen if we add a third love interest to all this? What will happen if instead of two guys on a motorcycle, there are three people on two wheels who end up involved in a love triangle?
Starring Fongfong Pathomporn Panfa ('My Star' and 'My Star: Uncut Version', both 2024), as Gentle, and Jo Ronaporn Vipataputi ('My Streamer', 2023 and 'Boy Scouts', 2022, 'My Star' and My Star: Uncut Version', 2024), like Motor, the film 'My Biker' talks about the discovery of sexuality in adolescence, sexual awakening and, more specifically, what it means to accept one's own homosexuality. It is, in essence, a story that supports diversity and also LGBTIQ visibility. Gentle discovers his sexual orientation in a heteronormative world by spending time with his best friend, with whom he establishes an emotional and sexual connection.
'เราและนาย My Biker' is an original short film by Wayufilm Production, in association with Pigeon Pictures, following 'The Internship', 'Monochrome' and their first sapphic short, 'HER'.
Set in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and written and directed by Nitchapoom Chaianun (Nicchi), the short tells us how Gentle and Motor share a vacation before the restart of the new school year, and plan to use their free days to tour the region by motorcycle. and take photos of the landscapes of the places they visit.
But suddenly Gentle's motorcycle breaks down, forcing him to ride behind Motor's big motorcycle, meaning they may be closer to each other than they've ever been before.
After a first outing, Gentle spends a night at the house of the neighborhood boy who, riding his motorcycle, goes through life at full speed, except in the moments when he carries his friend on his back, because he fears he will fall.
There is something universal in the story of Gentle and Motor, and it could not be otherwise, this being a romance like all the others.
The next morning, the handsome young man who seems insensitive to love, meets outside the house with Namwan, his girlfriend, with whom he has made an appointment, and Gentle, from the door, watches them play between laughter and mutual loving interactions. When getting on the motorcycle to go for a ride, the young woman hugs Motor's torso, and Gentle remembers how he did not dare to put his arm around her body the day before.
By silently observing them before being left alone, it is enough for Gentle to discover that he is in love with his friend. Those unique and inexplicable feelings, those jealousy that he feels for the first time in his short life, cannot be anything other than that the attraction he feels for Motor goes beyond friendship. "I want to be close to you always. I want to see your face every day," he will assure her when they meet again.
Gentle will discover that travel and big motorcycles are not the most important things in the world. How will Motor deal with Gentle's sudden confession? Will their friendship go beyond love?
When he has confessed his feelings, both will understand that from that moment on not everything will be as it has been until now.
A textbook 'coming of age' that, however, goes further in this slow-paced film that begins to gain momentum at times, until it shows that its director, the Thai filmmaker Nitchapoom Chaianun, is committed to the need to uncover a a topic that still carries many taboos, such as homosexuality, especially in a country that refuses to recognize equal marriage and, therefore, homosexual relationships.
I like the performance of the two young actors, as I am equally fascinated by the tangible chemistry and the growing discomfort, which feels real, organic, between the two as they make another journey, not on a motorcycle, of discovery and acceptance of sexuality. The new actors especially caught my attention because of their facial expressions and body language.
I have stated it on other occasions: I highly value the works of Wayufilm Production for their good execution, level of acting, filming and production, despite their low budget, for their simple stories that are much closer to real life, actors and a truly passionate production team in each installment, and a firm determination not to kneel before the giants of the entertainment world with their very common mediocre stories interested only in making money, and whose proposals frequently fail, among other reasons, for not taking into account seriously to his fans.
Furthermore, the editing team chose exceptional music to accompany the miniseries.
I also appreciate the tenacity of the creators to not succumb to the dictates and whims of commercial companies, eager to contribute funds to the production of many BL audiovisuals in exchange for advertising their products, something that we frequently criticize in other series of the genre, thus respecting Wayufilm Production its ethics and principle of being a production company that is committed to indie cinema.
'My Biker' joins other dramas authored by Nicchi with which he addresses issues related to sexuality and gender identity, as he has done since he debuted with his first short film 'Fresh' (เฟรชเฉิ่ม), in 2006, which was followed by 'Fresh Cool Story 2' (เรื่องเฟรชเฉิ่ม 2).
Committed to portraying the diversity of human relationships with sensitivity, dismantling prevailing stereotypes regarding what is "normal", and contributing to the struggle of Thai LGBT people, Nicchi, as he likes to call himself, has obtained popular recognition with his films and series BL-themed, such as the feature film 'My Bromance' (พี่ชาย, RTGS: Phi Chai), 'My Bromance 2: 5 Year Later: The Series', 'My Bromance: Reunion', 'Key Love', 'NightTime', 'The Rain Stories', 'Yantra' (อาถรรพ์ยันต์มหาเสน่ห์), among other shorts and series.
I owed my readers a review. He owed me a review. Learning about the upcoming release of 'My Bike 2' encouraged me to watch the short film once again and write it.

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THE FILM THAT SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY VIEWING FOR ALL

The title is pretty apt because a hungry lion is a predator that sees nothing but food. He sets his eyes on the meat, and will stoop to all means to grab it, even violence, and feel satisfied after eating it. And that's what the FL fell prey to. The hungry lion.
The poster is also pretty genius with the way her eyes are blurred, making it appear like institutions are trying to protect the identity of this teenager, when in reality her name and information is made public for all to see. That's why they say actions speak louder than words.

Now on to the movie -

A brutal, thought-provoking, disturbing hard-hitting and painfully real depiction of everything that is wrong with society;

(1) The way people engage in small talk & spread rumours about others without regard, and ruin another's life - regardless of whether she was the woman in the video or not, she didn't deserve to be filmed. People should have been kinder and shown her so much more love instead of spreading the rumours further and isolating her, that too when she constantly denied being the person in the video.

(2) The inhumanity with which society bullies and isolates others - right up to after her death, people talked about her as a slut or a bitch like they've never had sex themselves. Did they think even once about how they would feel if someone did the same to them? She stopped going to school, random men were approaching her outside school; why did people not protect her instead of furthering the narrative that she's easy. ALL JUST TO SUIT THEIR OWN STORY.

(3) The way family and social institutions fail to protect victims and try to make news out of them,
The dean isolated her and asked her to quit school and after her death says bull like please speak to adults because they will protect you. Her sister slut-shamed her instead of giving her a hug, but after her death we don't hear her voice at all. That might be her way of detaching, but that also points to her cowardice. Same for her mum who questioned her daughter if she was the one in the video, but didn't shut the journalists up after her death. Not only that, she brought home a man who pointed out her daughter's low skirt instead of being sensitive to the fact that they're all women in the house. The teachers constantly saw the way she was being bullied but didn't say a single word. They should have asked the kids to shut up, and given them a lecture on being sensitive. The way news outlets continued to publish news on her, making it look like they were looking for the truth, when in reality they were just en-cashing on her death. Nobody truly wanted to know the truth. Nobody wanted to understand what she went through. She went from being a slut, to a hero, to a victim because the narrative changed as it suited the news outlets.

(4) The patriarchal & predatory mindset with which people view women who have sex as 'easy' and think they can just have her without her consent - The audacity to ask her how far she went with Hiroko, and then rape her even when she refused. And then to throw her panties out of the van in a light-hearted manner saying they had fun, while she is standing there, sapped out of energy. The way strangers came looking for her after school thinking they'd have a go to satisfy their kink. Go to a prostitute. Why bother the school girl? Disgusting.

(5) The incorrect messages we send out - men who have sex with tons of women rejoice over "I did her" while the woman in the same situation is slut-shamed. Men are encouraged to have fun, while women are taught to be cautious, and maintain a clean, virginal image.

(6) Suicide - this film presents this issue freaking brilliantly. Her suicide is first met with opinions of 'the bitch / slut killed herself", then she is made into a victim who was kind and wrongly accused, and then she is made into a hero. While the girl who came in support from Fukouka seemed like the only sane and humane person, her act of putting the FL on a pedestal and calling her a hero highlights the problem of society. People are led to believe that killing themselves is the only way out, the only way they would be heard, and given a voice. And after a few weeks, people move on like the incident never happened, just like her family moved out of the house [leaving behind empty walls and rooms] to a new place probably looking for a new start.

Every damn thing about this film (its an endless list) was powerful and triggering. It made me mad and sick to my stomach. I ugly cried. I just don't have the words really because this has left me feeling empty.

And to think, this happens every day in some corner of the world. Films like this make you realize how the world can be a flower bed for some, and thorns for another. We talk about finding sufficiency and self-love in our own self, but is it really possible when no one is on your side, and everyone is only trying to push you over the edge? I honestly doubt that she wanted to kill herself. I think she tripped. But does it matter? Because the way things were going, she would have killed herself eventually. No one, literally no one was on her side. How could people be so inhuman?! But people are, and this film presented just that.

The film's brilliance also lies in the fact that we never get a clear cut answer as to whether she was the girl in the video or not. Because it would be easy to term her a victim if she wasn't. But I love that the film makes it clear that the answer doesn't matter. She is a victim nonetheless. Another bold move is the fact that she is not a virgin or a shy girl. She is outgoing, she does have sexual relationships with men, and she is beautiful. Regardless of that, she did not deserve to be slut-shamed and is a victim.

Even though there are many take-aways from this film, the biggest lesson I have learnt is to ' live and let live'. Focus on your own life and growth rather than spending time spewing hate on another.

On to the technical aspects - the way it was filmed may make it look like a low budget film but that's what made this even more powerful. Every scene and frame looked so real, like you were viewing the world from the character's perspective rather than watching a film. The documentary-like filming style also worked perfectly in creating this disgust you feel towards each and every person in her life. It was too real.

The acting - for a heavy-duty film like this, its interesting that there was hardly a scene of the FL crying or any rage expressed. But you could see the way she slowly withdrew and became lifeless.

The story and script - Freaking A1 from the start to the end. Not a single filler scene. Every scene tells you something, and leaves you thinking.

It's a flawless short film and I highly highly recommend this for all, even though it is not an easy watch and will trigger even the hardest of hearts. I just had to write a review because that is how much I just want everyone to see it.

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