Reviews

Shocks as sharp as a knife

Keeping its secrets guarded and living off the shocks of its knife-edge turns, Chime sees Kiyoshi Kurosawa covering more than familiar ground with plenty of desolate moodscapes, recognisable for anyone with even a cursory knowledge of his past output. However, there is something particularly chilling about the oppressive mundanity here, a mundanity to which Kōichi Furuya's digital cinematography adds another layer of dread. It's a dreary madness that slowly begins seeping into the life of its character. Despite its skeletal form and brief runtime, the film ends on a fascinating rupture; the previously ambient evil becoming tangible shifts, terrifyingly, within the realm of possibility and the suggestion of this curse being made concrete becomes overbearing. Relishing in the awful psychological residues of violence while suggesting a lucid dream, the kind of fragmented nightmare you are grateful to wake up from but just as terrified to leave so unresolved.

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experience the charm of art

Zhang Zhehan's closeness to nature and his interactions with the local people create beautiful and harmonious scenes. Snow-capped mountains, glaciers, grasslands, herds of cattle and sheep, along with those ordinary yet sincere faces, all reflect his inner world. This blend of nature and culture brings me a sense of the diversity and beauty of life. In the documentary, the music harmonizes perfectly with the visuals, creating a serene and delightful atmosphere for the audience. Especially the song "The Eternal Flow of Rivers," sung by the protagonist's neighbor, not only portrays the social environment of the time but also hints at the grandeur of the era and the insignificance of the individual. This perfect combination of music and visuals allows me to experience the charm of art.

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Slow build-up dramatic tension in 56 minutes

The single 56 minute "series" is a highly entertaining and thought provoking experience. The concept is very interesting- being based on the word limerence. The ending may not be everyone's cup of tea but it is well-deserved. Overall, I think it's a very different "BL" if you can call it such.

Story: I loved the concept and that is why I rate the story so high. There are loopholes and some issues, but the execution is surprisingly great for a small production with less budget. The story has a crescendo of dramatic tensions; with each minute the story becomes more and more intense. There is a constant up and down of emotions, as we see characters doing things that may not be logical or clear- giving depth to the story. It's a dark but interesting watch.

Music: Nothing special it was appropriate for the mood.

Acting: The antagonist and protagonist of the story have excellent acting. I really liked their performance, and I would like to see more of them. This may not be the most romantic of stories but they were able to show case fear and tension nicely. Though I think the ending scene could have been better acted, as the acting was a little weak.

Rewatch Value: I like the story personally- there is something about attachment being shown in this way that makes me disturbed but intrigued. I feel like it's a story that I can revisit and it would still feel fresh- I guess it is a testament to the power of the original concept.

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Powerful and inspiring short film

Beautiful Run was a powerful and deeply touching short film. I have watched it twice and cried twice-something quite unusual for me. I’m not sure how realistic it would be, but I hope with all my heart it could be.

A young girl with a disabled leg who uses crutches cares for her bedridden father often missing school. Short on food and medication she applies for the most menial of jobs but is rudely turned down as people glance at her leg. She happens upon a flyer for a marathon with a cash reward and enters it. At first, she receives the same disdainful side-ways glances from the other runners, but during the arduous journey as she determinedly perseveres with one leg, her efforts begin to change the hearts of the other runners.

At less than seven minutes long the story is told with almost no dialogue. Only the careful editing and expressions on people’s faces tells the story. Near the end there is clarification through group messaging, but other than that everyone is silent. The music also nurtures the audience’s feelings. The nameless young woman never complains, never breaks down in tears, she just relentlessly keeps moving forward with her committed resolve.

This girl’s selfless persistence in a grueling physical act of love broke through people’s prejudices and began to bring out the best in others. The film stopped short of being patronizing. Beautiful Run made me believe that good does exist and people can open their minds and hearts to others. “Gratitude makes the impossible happen.” Let it be so.

10 June 2024

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A great cycling documentary that allows you to ease your pain.

When I was preparing my graduation thesis, I was recommended by a friend and discovered this documentary. At that time, I was in a state of extreme anxiety, always thinking that if my defense didn't pass, would my life be hopeless? Later on, when I saw this documentary, I felt that my anxiety symptoms had improved a lot. To be honest, I started writing this film review after watching it twice. The first time I watched it was without searching for any actors. What attracted me the most was the narrative rhythm and techniques of the documentary. This documentary did not pile up boring displays of cultures encountered while cycling, but presented culture and stories from the actors' first perspective, which is really charming. The second time I watched it was after reviewing the story of documentary director Zhang Zhehan. After learning about the unfair fate and treatment suffered by Zhang Zhehan in his own country, I had the ability to appreciate the documentary from another perspective. I better understood the emotions he expressed in the documentary, not strong demands, but a gentler and warmer reconciliation and search. His optimistic attitude towards the desperate situation just woke me up: life is a step-by-step process, as long as we live, there is nothing impossible.

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An interesting gem

"I am what I am" depicts the perception of being in a relationship (and love) from different point of views and we mainly follow Kasumi, our main character who knows she's different from the others and she's happy with it.

It's more about how the society (especially from her family and around her) percieves it and how she "deals" with it, I was sad the fact that we can see she's being pressured and not being understood of what she felt.

It's an interesting movie and an eye opener because I'm not sure that everyone is aware of being aromantic and or asexual. It's even important to produce this kind of movie to spread awareness and be accepted for this but don't judge people because they are what they are.

My only problem is the lacking of something that can makes me more understanding / connecting the character and that some parts felts a bit slow or maybe I'm being nitpicky lol (that's why I didn't give a 10)

Anyway, I recommend this movie for everyone, being part of LGBTQ+ or not, it should be watched and known.

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It's Very Depressing But That's Not Necessarily A Bad Thing

It’s very depressing and it never lets up. Even the small moments of fun/bonding between the two main characters does not lift the tone. This is ok if you are not put off by heavy, sad and depressing topics that don’t sugar-coat things. Me saying that it’s depressing isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of satisfaction can be gotten from watching a character go through hardship after hardship and come out on the other side. For me, I don’t regret watching it. I did find some satisfaction, narratively. It was an interesting enough story and the acting was decent. It also had a good message and it didn’t feel like suicide propaganda. In fact, it felt sincere in its message. The last 30 or so minutes at the end of the film are it’s best. You’ll see why.

And for once, they referenced a country with darker skinned people without being derogatory. I particularly liked that the Yun character didn’t look to go there to satisfy some sort of saviour complex or to ‘civilise’ the population. Instead, he went there to be with them. To be with the people who reminded him of himself. He also had lovely things to say about the community there. He didn’t patronise their sense of care and community towards raising the orphan children. Rather, it sounded like he was talking about people he held in high esteem. Listen up Asian film makers…this is how it’s done. This is how you include other non-western countries without being a-holes about it.

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If you only watch one het love story this year...

I'm careful in what I watch by way of het romance and initially We Made a Beautiful Bouquet wasn't high up my list for this year's JFF Online. A J-drama fan I follow on social media had seen it before and I liked what he wrote about it so I gave it a go.

It doesn't do the things I dislike about most het relationship story lines. The FL isn't cutesy or ditsy. Shared enthusiasms are central to the dynamic between the two characters and the framing is also balanced between their POVs. It's one of the most equal relationships I've seen. There's something else I want to compliment it on but that would be a spoiler.

All in all, it's an excellent film. Solid writing and acting so natural I managed to forget I was watching a film during some of it. Oh right, this isn't happening. If someone said, "I'm willing to watch one het love story this year" this is one of two I'd suggest.

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I should have liked the film, I wanted to love it -- but there was one major thing that annoyed me so much I even dreamed about it the following night. I tried to keep this review spoiler-free anyway, but I don't think I managed.

For the most part, the film just shows an old man (Tsutomu) gathering vegetables from the hill and from his field, cooking and eating them; and writing a book. Alongside this, we hear his thoughts about food, and about life -- his own life and how it shaped him specifically. In the film, what we hear is what Tsutomu is writing -- it's probably the essay the film is based on.

It's an interesting choice, to take an essay with Zen thoughts about life and try to turn it into a film -- and until the one hour mark, it works.
We see the season change, the landscapes and the vegetables change with them. Occasionally, the man's quiet life connects to the outside world -- a visit by his editor, by a carpenter, or when Tsutomu visits his mother-in-law.
I liked that part, I was looking forward to see the rest of the seasons. Even the motive of death, which was introduced at the end of the first hour, was fitting -- life and death are interconnected, which is why we like to eat together after a burial or a wake. I even liked the change of pace then, that death made Tsutomo's life more hectic -- that is a beautiful juxtaposition.

But after the scare he gets, his voice-over thoughts start to sound like those motivational quotes on greeting cards / calendars / facebook posts -- every single sentence has this feeling to it. This is no longer like the flow of thoughts of an old man, with some deep thoughts and some more personal observations, it's more like a compilation of "The Best of Zen" you could buy in the gift section of a book store.
I would have liked it much better if there had been more silence in this part of the film, only occasionally enhanced by a single sentence or thought.
Since this film is based on an essay, I suppose that everything we hear in the voice-over is from the essay, and that everything from the essay is in the film -- so unless either the film is longer or parts of the essay had been cut, there wasn't much else to do.

I'm also not too impressed with the relationship between the man and his editor -- is it friendship? Something romantic? It's implied that it's the latter, but the apparent age gap and some other smaller things make it strange.

Let's go back to the good things:
I loved the acting and the looks of the main character. Tsutomu is just an older man who is living his life. I like that he looks just like an ordinary man. With just a few changes in his movements, the actor shows us the change from the sprightly man who ambles through the woods and chases after pigeons to the elederly man who feels as if he's at death's door.
I also loved watching nature change from month to month -- and whenever I met the little frog again, I thought "Hello friend, there you are!" -- and also how the ingredients and the food preparation was filmed, which is something Japanese dramas or movies excel in.
And then, the last few minutes had everything I loved about the film, we also went full circle; but not quite -- as the year is complete, and things go back to the start, we'll have changed and the new year will be the same, and different.

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