Vaiburêta

I can honestly say that the moment this movie began, I was drawn in by the coldness of Shinobu's voice... The entire message of the movie, in my opinion, is a beautiful one-- one of rebirth and renewal in one's life, and the decision to live for the better. True, the film contains long filler clips of scenery and music-- but that only gives the viewer time to take in what they've seen along the ride of VIBRATOR.

The previous reviewer of this movie states that it was absolutely horrible... But I find an artistic quality to it that touched me on a personal level. The film grasps concepts of the longing women have to fit in-- seeking out beauty by destroying ones' body, and so on. But throughout the movie a metamorphosis takes place, and Shinobu realizes that she is no longer alone and has something in her life that she should live for.

If you're into action flicks, or movies that are easy to comprehend, then I don't suggest VIBRATOR for you. However, if you've enjoyed films such as 'Last Life in the Universe' or perhaps, 'All About Lily Chou-Chou' in the past, then I would recommend this movie. There are a lot of deep messages hidden deep within the plot, and I had a fun time discovering them.

I recently saw this movie at the Barcelona Asian Film Festival 2004, I really was astonished. I think that it deals with the self confidence and the self opinion of people in a very delicate way. It also went deep inside myself. This surely is not universal but I highly recommend this movie. The person I was with didn't like it. I guess it's a question of identification. Either you get identified with the character or not. This is a radical (but delicate movie). Cannot think of a better way to deal with this themes Also a perfect example to learn how to shoot a digital low cost high quality movie.

I really think a couple of the other comments about this film have been a bit harsh. Sure it's not for everyone. It is slow paced (but in the best possible way) and gentle...and a truly beautiful gem of a film. And if you like that kind of film you're in for a treat.

The character development is so delicate that it is a real pleasure to watch their journey unfold. To me everything about this film was beautiful, if a little sad at times. Even the sex scenes were inoffensive.

Shinobu Terajima and Nao Omori are amazing and their on screen chemistry is (for me) the key to what makes this story such a joy to watch. I think this is one of those films that you will either love or hate (literally), but give it a try because if you love it, this wonderful story will stay with you long after the credits have ended.

I made the mistake of being sucked in by glowing reviews and saw this film at the Philadelphia film festival a few days ago. It was apparently reviewed as THE BEST Japanese film of the year by a few Japanese film critics. Moreover the Philadelphia Film Festival review touted it as a "must see" for those interested in modern Japanese cinema. This movie was truly horrible. I'm foreign film fanatic and usually enjoy the relatively slow pace of most foreign films vis-a-vis the A.D.D-ness of Hollywood films, but this film was painful. Character development was nonexistent. There were minutes and minutes of filler scenes of a truck driving across Japan. The dialog was banal and the use of voice overs annoying. If this is the best that Japanese cinema has to offer (and I know it isn't!) this would be the last Japanese film I'd see ever. Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Vibrator is a movie I'd like to forget. A movie where the fake-outs and plot twists get faked-out and twisted-over so you're right back where you started. A movie that transfers, seamlessly, from grotesquely silent anal sex sequences to intricately technical discussions over the innermost workings of CB radio.

There are shots in this film that make you wonder if the projectionist accidentally spliced in thousands upon thousands of identical frames. Characters sit, silently eating soup, for up to and including ten minutes at a time. It's like watching paint dry, only at some point in the course of the first act, the paint is already dry, and you just sit around watching paint for two hours!

Vibrator is truly remarkable in its refusal to tell a story, to grab your attention, or event to through in a shred of music every now and then! For a movie with practically two speaking parts, you might figure it to be a characters study, but that would involve actually wiggling some effort in the way of character development.

Vibrator never surmounts to anything. The cinematography, flashy at best, is reminiscent of a Mitsubishi commercial, sans-techno. The main players do fine, but are given virtually no material to play to an audience with. Characters cry, and you just watch them. You don't feel them.

I walked out of the late-night screening of Vibrator from the LA Film Festival feeling drastically cheated.