Half the World

This movie doesn't really have a discernible plot you can follow, it's one of those japanese everyday life stories about everyday people in a small town. It does have a message, but it's not pushed in your face, instead it's conveyed in a low key way. The movie is about small town folks, fatherhood, friendship, family. It's very mellow for the most part, but never boring. I quite enjoyed it.

This movie is one of the best movies we've been watched so far. It almost covered everything in our lives we might have to encounter, to face and to deal with. Three good friends grew up together, each got different path of life, it might be tough, lonely, but even so, the friendship always remained and maintained. The love of wife, the caring of the mother, the painful growing up experience as a teenage, the tough occupation inherited from the father...on and on, the well scripted storyline subtly covered everything, the ingredients of life sometimes bitter-sweet, sometimes inescapable in either half of the world where you might have to choose, but either one actually overlapped with each other. Life just has to go on. What a wonderful viewing experience. Highly recommended.