Shiki-Jitsu

This movie is closer to a character study that to a conventional story. The minimal plot we have is about a struggling director who returns to his hometown and meets a young a girl who lives in her own fantasy world and follows strict rituals seemingly just to get by every day. Their unconventional love runs its course over 30 days and sees the girl confront her deamons and the director get more involved than he wanted.

The girl is so desperately runs from her past that we would believe something extraordinary and horrible happened to her but as we find out what happened was horrible yes but all too ordinary. The main similarity between this movie and Hideaki Anno's other more famous work Neon Genesis Evangelion is that personal trauma is given subjective significance, it is shown as dramatically as it is felt. We we think of family trauma most of the time we think of the death of a loved one or serious physical/sexual abuse but as it is shown it this film verbal abuse and neglect alone can have absolutly devastating effects on a person. Despite what she tells herself the girl's family is alive she probably hasn't been touched in any way but throughtout her formative years she was insulted, blamed and compared, hasn't been given the respect or even validation as a person she deserves, which collectively let to her current state.

Anno's roots in animation are felt as the movie is beautifully shot, I especially like the contrast between the lush imagery of the girls place and the bleakness of the industrial town representing her fantasy and the outside world respectively.

Ayako Fujitani portrays madness very believably, while Shunji Iwai is subtle and precise. My only grievances are that it may be needlessly complicated and long.

This felt a good 20 to 30 minutes too long for me, which holds it back from greatness in my eyes. That being said, I still liked a good amount of this film, and there were moments throughout that were very effective and powerful.

It's clear to see it as a personal film for Hideaki Anno, and it's different to anything else I've seen from him. I think with this, he proves he can do grounded drama without the sort of sci-fi elements found in his best known movies/shows... but I just wish this had been assembled and edited to be a bit tighter, because to me, it didn't feel like it needed to be more than two hours.

I must say, I was really not expecting this film... I gave this film a view without any idea of the plot or basic info to back it up and I finished the film with an uncomfortable feeling. From a personal perspective I can assure you this isn't simply the story of a "crazy" girl and a washed out filmmaker...this is the story of a profoundly sorrowed girl and exploring how she deals with this sorrow in her day to day life. The reason she may not have jumped that ledge on the roof may very well be due to those lies she kept telling herself and her whole "ritual", she only needed someone to appreciate her and stay with her and teach her life isn't as painful as she was brought up thinking it was.

I can't believe how well fujitani played this role...As someone else mentioned, why hasn't she done more film? She was even TOO convincing in her role...I could have filled a litre of water with my tears.

The uber-emotional plot and performances aside, the visuals were equally wonderful, especially her "secret" basement filled with red umbrellas, water, and her bathtub. I haven't seen such unique and beautiful set designs for a while.

I'll wrap this up...AMAZING movie 10/10 getting a DVD copy soon, i HAVE to. You definitely HAVE to watch this movie.

Another example of a film I should have watched when it came out...at least for me it would have been a quintessential teenage movie that would have changed my life, at least a bit.

Now, I see it how it is. A meandering and pandering movie about angst, depression, grief and that trendy thing in Japan, suicide - feelings I've also been through as a teenager. I cannot, however, deny the somewhat unique visual style and the powerful effect it has on the viewer. The visual style created by the camera of the very talented director Hideaki Anno - who previously directed Evangelion (similar themes in both), the set design and filming locations. From a visual standpoint, it's great, it's a must-see.

From the story's point of view, it depends on everyone. On a teenager or early 20-year-old, the story would have a much greater effect than it has on me, and that's understandable. If I think for myself from a point of view of a teenager then yeah, it's moody, enigmatic, unpredictable, cool, random...everything I would have wanted to be. And all set in Japan. The ultimate cool.

But because it's not for everyone and because it's too up its own butt I cannot appreciate it more.

Ritual is without a doubt one of my favorite films of all time. Interestingly its from a from a very unexpected director.

I had seen Evangelion a few years back and thought it lacked maturity and was way too pretentious for its own good. I had heard some good things about Anno's live action work but didn't pursue it until some of my friends online came across this film and loved it.

This is the film where all the talent I thought Anno was capable of in Evangelion springs to life. This film has some of the most stunning photography I've seen, the performances are spot on, the writing is a tad on the pretentious side, but still feels very personal and is very much the voice of the director in his jaded post-anime days.

The film is subtle, beautiful and very creative. Its full of wonderful camera-work and cinematography that have a polish and subtlety lacking in his other work. If I had to complain about one thing I'd say that it drags a bit around the 1:45 mark.

One thing that surprised me about the acting is that Fujitani is actually Stephen Segal's daughter, showing that their is some acting talent in that family...

Its a real shame that Anno took a step backwards with his next film Cutey Honey (2004), because here is a film where one gets to see the beginnings of a brilliant auteur - I hope Anno directs something of this caliber again. (particularly if its animated, animation needs less trash and more art on the par with Isao Takahata's work) If you didn't care for Anno's anime work but thought he had talent I'd highly recommend checking this film out.