Shizukana ame

This is like the serious version of those cheesy American rom-coms like Fifty First Dates. And I really felt the guy's pain. Having to muster the enthusiasm and motivation each morning must be rough. Who wouldn't break down having to get back to almost square one each single day?

However, it felt long and stilted for a very short movie. The first hour or so were very draggy. Sedate even. There's that Japanese restraint and politeness that prevents real connection. I must confess it got interesting for me when he breaks down over broccoli. That's where the movie took off for me and I wish the whole thing were more like that. I had a sneaky suspicion it would turn into full-on melodrama and I thought you know what they could come up with? So he walks up those stairs to relive that moment and then he gets run over by a car.

Don't worry, that didn't happen. It got back on track. And I was glad it did. However I'm sorry for this poor guy's future. It had barely been a month of this. I'm sure there's also some symbolism to him being disabled. It also makes us instantly sorry for him.

Anyway, do these conditions actually exist? How do these people live really?

It so easy to forget the taste, feel and depth of our daily routine because the mundane we all experience brings an nearly invisible familiarity. So too, does that mindless pattern of life sometimes stray into something altogether different, transformational and of such nobility that it brings out a rarified kindness that makes a human effort for one another - a marvel to behold.

Silent Rain or aka Shizukana ame, tells such a story. Yuki meets Koyomi via a shared love of Taiyaki and her mastery of the confection. His limp and her uniqueness brew a concoction that is special and cherished by both in a slow blooming certitude until life - as it so often will - plays its usual mean tricks.

From a barely glowing ember something remarkable may occur and we are unable to turn away. As this wonderfully quiet and simple story tracks the tenacious and patient effort between two people we eavesdrop intimately in the pure process that only a skilled Japanese filmmaker can portray.

And make no mistake you will be glad to have made this journey because of the special effort of the actors making you believe what you see is real on the screen. This is an absolutely remarkable film!

STOPPED RAINING (2019) A scientist (Taiga Nakano) falls in love with a woman (Misa Eto) running a concession stand who has an accident soon after he makes his first move on her. Waking up from a short coma she suffers from amnesia causing her to not be able to make new memories... A wonderful little romance drama which totally turns around the typical genre clichés. It's such a quiet and subtle film full of small moments which mean the world and one of those movies which had me rooting my ass off for the character's romance.

Written and directed by Ryûtarô Nakagawa he's now become a favorite of mine as I already loved MIO ON THE SHORE plus SUMMER BLOOMS I quite liked also. He finds that special tone for his stories and plays everything down, starting with compelling but quiet characters who take a very special journey to gain happiness.

What elevated IT STOPPED RAINING (aka SILENT RAIN) even further were some metaphysical elements (the moon theme, the heart memory) which first seemed to play a bigger role but in the end were handled so subtle that I those felt completely truthful.

Big love for this little gem.

Review written by artist jayakumar jrain.