Ride or Die

First of all, the fact that a female-led LGBT movie made it to Netflix Japan is huge considering Japan has very little representation.

Lots of great qualities about this movie. The acting and cinematography is different from normal Japanese films, which often show acting that is over dramatized to force humor. This film doesn't do that. Kiko and the supporting lead actress did a great job playing complex characters that take the whole movie to fully understand.

The cinematography also showcased lower class life in rural parts of Japan, which often get overlooked in Japanese films that make it abroad.

However, I think American viewers who mostly watch American films might not understand this film, and many of those viewers will likely complain about the length. American films used to be long, too, but later became no longer than 90 minutes because Americans' attention spans are just too short these days. Current Hollywood films contain scene after scene of "in your face" drama and action, sacrificing artistic film for purely entertainment. Perhaps that works for super hero and comedy films, but Ride or Die isn't this type of film. American movies also stop short of explaining the ending of films, but this movie takes you to the very end.

Japanese art and TV are *masters* of displaying the subtleties of everyday life and the tenderness of human emotion and connection. That's exactly what's happening in the parts of this film that some Americans may consider "slow." If you have an understanding of Japanese culture and art, then this will make sense as you watch the film. There is also a strong culture of natsukashii/nostalgic-ness, especially pertaining to high school, in pop culture here in Japan, which explains the number of flashbacks to high school.

Those people who are complaining about Kiko's nudity don't understand who Kiko is. She is not the run-of-the-mill actress/model. She is very body-positive and lives to push the boundaries on what society deems acceptable.

That said, I think it's a fantastic piece of art if you're willing to try understanding the film through a non-American lens, but it's definitely not for suited for everyone.

Had potential story with good acting, expect it too dark for romance movie and also the pacing slow.

I admire this film for trying to tackle relatively stigmatized issues like LGBT and depression in Japan, but I feel like the director didn't really have a clear vision in mind when making this movie. Scenes are overly long and the movie very much does not follow the typical buildup-conflict-resolution structure that most movies have. It feels like they just put all the raw footage together and released it, without trying to edit/shorten any of the scenes. Even with all of that, our two characters barely get any background other than a few school flashbacks. There are just sooo many scenes that go on for wayyy too long and/or add nothing to the main narrative. If the director really wanted to try and flesh out so many different characters and motivations he should have pitched this as a short series rather than a movie. Those sort of long, hanging shots would be far more acceptable in a series than a movie. I suppose it might also be because this was based on a manga, and trying to cram in years worth of manga story into a movie, even a 2.5 hour one, doesn't really work unless you focus on a specific story beat. It's a shame, really, I think it's got a good premise just executed really poorly.

I liked the purity of this film. Really felt the passion from the actors in this. Cute, sad, happy all at the same time.

Thankfully, this movie is not a knock-off of Thelma and Louis. That said, it has its moments but also a lot of flaws.

The good: The subject of domestic abuse or LGBTQ is not often seen in Japanese cinema, so this movie is a welcomed rarity. The soundtrack is also interesting, as if it is trying to convince the viewer that they are watching merely a romantic movie.

The bad: The acting is too wooden at times. The dialogue sometimes sounds like exposition rather than organic conversation. The story at its very basic is not very believable. This last part is the worst, because the movie seems.to suggest that if you're LGBTQ, then you must have a mental problem.

Verdict: It's worth a watch, but really it's more of an unevenly told story about two lost women that is more a fantasy rather than an important dramatic commentary on societal norms versus those who are different in Japan.