Hito no sekkusu o warauna

"Sex is No Laughing Matter" or "Don't Laugh at My Romance", whatever you want to call it, is a fairly standard movie. The performances by Hiromi Nagasaki(Yuri) and Ken'ichi Matsuyama(Mirume)are good but nothing spectacular. I honestly didn't care much about those characters or their storyline and I thought that the more interesting subplot was the relationship between Mirume and En-Chan played by the always brilliant, Yu Aoi. Mirume and Yuri's affair has a devastating impact on the heartbroken En-Chan, who becomes jealous when she finds out that her secret love has fallen for an older woman. She plays the part of the forlorn college student to a tee and is the main reason for any success the film achieves. I've got to say that after "Hana & Alice", this is the funniest performance of Yu Aoi's that I've seen yet and really showcases her comedic talent. There's a very hilarious and endearing scene between Shugo Oshinari(Domoto) and Yu Aoi's character at the end of the film that is just about as good as it gets from a comedic standpoint. For those of you who don't know, Yu and Shugo played the characters of Tsuda and Hoshino in the film "All About Lily Chou Chou", where in that movie, Shugo actually played Yu's pimp. It's both odd and nostalgic to see those two act together in "Don't Laugh at My Romance" knowing what their characters went through in the previous film. To sum everything up, I would recommend this movie to Japanese film lovers, but this is a must-see if you're a Yu Aoi fan.

Before you settle down for this movie, know what you're getting into. This is a minimalist film in the vein of Jim Jarmusch or Ming-liang Tsai. If you enjoy the works of either those directors, you'll probably appreciate this kind of filmmaking, although I don't think this is as successful as those directors' better works. If you aren't into this kind of thing, you'll probably be bored to tears.

I'm a fan of both Jarmusch and Ming-liang, and even my patience was tested at times. I appreciate what Nami Iguchi is trying to do here, and I think she is a talent to look out for in the future. She has a good eye for composition, draws out fine naturalistic performances from her actors, and orchestrates some lovely moments between them. But the screenplay meanders all over the place and the drama never amounts to much. After a while, the languorous mood starts to feel like a purely stylistic affectation, and it keeps the film from generating momentum. It's way too long.

I would recommend this only to fans of Jarmusch-style minimalism. There are enough moments of brilliance scattered throughout to make the movie worth your time, but just barely.