Hush!

As i am becoming more interested in foreign films, i am continually amazed at the high quality of some of these films, especially the European ones. I am not a big fan of Asian movies, but this one scores a high on my list.

This isn't a fast film at all, which is great, as it captures the detailed makeup of these characters and their connections with ones another. Some can be too slow, but this had a steady pace giving great depth into their emotions and everyday lives. This is one aspect I like about foreign movies, attention to detail.

I am not overly keen on gay relationships, but this film was still a good watch providing some insight into gay couples and their decisions about families and children.

Overall it was a good movie. Worth watching again.

The acting was great too.

The young people are charming, and the idea of mutual support is often touching. But the film lacks focus and rambles endlessly. It should have been more tightly edited for continuity. Also, the pace is terribly slow, and the cinematography is often static. The scene in which the parents of the two boys confront the young woman often seems like a still photograph,with the young people standing motionless in the background. I thought it would never end.

It's hard to decide if the film is a comedy or a drama. The young woman who wants a baby is so terribly distraught. I wondered if those two gentle boys weren't taking on a real nut-case in order to help her.

I've watched this movie several times but last night I watched it again and I just have to say something about it. This is not your normal gay movie with a lot of gratuitous sex scenes, nor is this a gay movie about AIDS, nor does the plot have anything to do with someone being sick. This is a story about how two fine looking young Japanese men meet up, have a relationship and start a life together. The families of these two men are screwed up, like too many are in life, but these two keep on going. Then just to make it even more interesting, two women come into the middle of these two men's lives. One becomes like a third partner (she wants a baby from them) and the other has a typical young girl infatuation. What really caught my attention was how both these guys do things together at home and outside the home. They care about each other, know each other, and do spontaneous things together. I think we could all learn about relationships from watching these two guys interact together. Love the story.

If you like your movies subtle and sweet, then this should be just the ticket. Although the subject matter isn't too out there in the West, it's interesting to see it broached in the Japanese context, where tradition and respect for family are still held in high esteem. The film deals with familial relationships now, and as such presents a refreshing and forward thinking outlook on the nature of the family unit in the 21st century. Hashiguchi lets us watch these intimate relationships as they build up and, in some cases, break down, without feeling intrusive. There are some wonderful scenes of extended dialogue, the sort of meandering conversations that go nowhere, but that are incredibly involving nonetheless. All the performances are spot on, and there's just the right balance between the humour and the heartache. It's a slow, talky film, but still highly rewarding.

If a movie reflects good human nature and characteristics, why do we need to refuse it and not accept it even it involves gay relationship.

The director really depicts each character as a real person - you trust their existence.

And you will bring a warm smile when going out of the theater.