Aichaku

I'm not a foreigner and I'm not gay. I don't understand everything in this movie. I liked that it still made me feel like I was not an enemy when I watched it. It didn't make fun of Japanese people and straight people were not the villain. It was about life conflicts and all kinds of love. The villain is just situations the characters are in. They have to figure out what is moving forward.

Was it a perfect movie? No. Was it an interesting movie? Yes. I recommend it. It is worth checking out, especially since it's free on prime video. If it was not free, I am not sure what I would think or feel. For something free though I felt like it had a lot of value, so maybe I would not mind.

I struggled to get through this film and finally gave up about 70 minutes in.

This entire film is apparently a showcase for the (American) lead actor's Japanese speaking ability. As a story, it is predictable and laughable and not really that interesting.

There is a lot of unnecessary dialogue, there are over-the-top screaming scenes (which are de rigueur for Japanese films, even, apparently, ones featuring foreign leads), there are tired tropes (English teachers in Japan), and there are huge miscalculations by the writer/star, mainly about why anyone would care that he can speak Japanese as well as he does.

The entire onsen scene came across as totally unbelievable and bizarre and fake.

The lead actor does tons of mugging and has apparently learned every single Japanese facial expression or reaction, since he has very few of his own.

His character is not developed at all, and as such, I could not care what happens to him.

The Japanese actors all fare better, and the lead Japanese "half" actor is legitimately hot and sexy and has potential in the right story (not this one).

There was tons of unnecessary (and incorrectly chosen) music with singing, played over scenes where the actors were talking -- and yet, how could we understand what they were saying when they were being drowned out by background music?

The two star rating is for the hot Japanese male lead, who gives us a hint of what paradise might be like in the onsen, but it is nearly totally destroyed by the virginal worry-wart first-time-ever in an onsen foreigner who acts like a scared girl on her first date.

I have lived in Japan for a long time and I understand a lot of what was going on, and the idea that we are supposed to care about anyone in this film is one that apparently never occurred to the writer/star, since he spent his entire time on screen being obvious about everything he said and did, all without a soupçon of subtlety.

Trite, self indulgent and bad. Just bad overall.

I won't even begin to voice my opinion after a reviewer (above or below me here), I'll call them double D said the exact same thing I was thinking as I read each of their paragraphs. There isn't even an OUNCE of chemistry between them, nada.

The Japanese lead was incredibly good to look at, I will give you that and he kept my interest for the film. That being said, even in Japanese he couldn't act as way out of a wet paper bag. No offense my friend, I'm not attacking you personally if you read this review...but given what I viewed, you would not have acted your way out a out of a wet, perforated bag.

As for the American lead, it's been a long, long time since I've seen such incredibly poor and self indulgent melodramatic turns, heaped under a pile of what the actor thought he was emoting, emotions, topped by all sorts of VERY stereotypical, "barbie like" head throws and twists and with all KINDS of stomping and swishing going on when they were upset. This is how an adult, who goes to Japan to teach English, carries themselves?

Was this supposed to be a trans film, maybe a lady/boy type of film? I am being dead serious.

I'm hoping that this is just a sophomore attempt and then it gives everyone involved the chance to learn and grow and make better each time you produce and then present. I'd love to give you more than two stars but I'm sorry, the American lead destroyed it for me, it's not even worth the time nor the effort to point out some of the poor camera angles, the lighting, the direction, and how someone, never it seems, took into account sound and how to utilize it. The Japanese lead is soft spoken YET no one in sound took this into account? GOD GRIEF!)

I've been watching this movie often since I discovered it, and every time it moves me as if it were the first time! I usually love movies where the main message is clear from the start, but in this case, there's the surprise that love can do anything! Ken is a boy shaped by the bitterness of life. Without emotions, he suffers because he can't express them and doesn't know what he wants from his life. Then Luke, with his simplicity, wins Ken's heart. This movie is a succession of emotions, but it's not boring because at times it's funny! A beautiful movie! I highly recommend it! The actors are magnificent!

Aichaku is one of those quiet, emotional films that really sticks with you. What unfolds over just a few days is a touching story about identity, connection, and finding where you belong.

The acting feels really natural, The cinematography is beautiful too; the countryside setting adds a peaceful, almost meditative vibe to the whole film.

The 1950s-inspired soundtrack is a nice touch, and you can tell a lot of heart went into making this, especially knowing it was partially crowdfunded. It's not flashy or fast-paced, but if you're into character-driven stories with emotional depth, Aichaku is absolutely worth a watch.