Lavanderia

"Laundry" might be somewhat of an overlooked title to make it out from the Japanese cinema. And it is only my undying love and interest in the Asian cinema that lead me to this movie as I stumbled upon it in a DVD store in Hong Kong.

The story told in this 2002 romantic drama is about a young man named Teru (played by Yôsuke Kubozuka) whom suffered an injury to the head and brain during his childhood. He is now looking after the coin laundry service for his elderly grandmother. Here he meets the brokenhearted Mizue (played by Koyuki). A random chance friendship sparks as the two starts talking with each other.

For you to fully enjoy "Laundry", then you must enjoy a story- and character-driven drama. To some the storyline might be slow paced and somewhat of an enjoyment killer. But if you do enjoy these kind of movies, then "Laundry" is a rather wholesome entertaining movie that is rich on story, character development and acting performances.

The acting by the two lead talents was really great, and they really pulled their weight quite fabulously, both individually and together on the screen. There was a really good chemistry between Yôsuke Kubozuka and Koyuki.

While "Laundry" is not a drama that will have you in tears, it is still a rather enjoyable movie, and I can more than warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch this 2002 Japanese movie. It is the type of drama that sinks into your soul and sticks with you for quite awhile. So thumbs up to director Jun'ichi Mori for this accomplishment.

For the most part, "Laundry" is more convincing, realistic, real, human, and specific in the first half, and more romanticized, symbolic, magical, and transcendent in the second half. I much preferred the former.

I think the key to the breach is the reliance on a romance to move the narrative. The couple are not a real fit except perhaps in a fairy-tale. Even though Teru is a cute, cuddly guy with expressive smiles and pure intents, Mizue is clearly a step above in terms of stature and beauty. She is too much the stuff of male dreaming, especially for a coin laundry custodian. He's like a neighborhood guy who hangs out at the laundry, is burdened by a brain injury, and she is someone who seems to be moving forward in life, depressed or not. It seems like he best belongs with his typical laundry crowd , rather than with its most special customer.

In fact, I think it's his fantasy about her that puts pressure on her. It's not that he's cornering her, but that she has deep personal problems and, as such, is vulnerable to impressions. She has no real center from which to accept or deny him. And no real direction in her life to pursue on her own. And most importantly, she's under the sway of a guilt complex as an addicted and apprehended kleptomaniac. So, it's not surprising that she's often self-deprecating, too dependent, or that she regularly ties Teru's shoes for him.

The pigeon trainer, who initially belongs to the movie's compelling early realism which is so apparent in the hitchhiker scenes, becomes much less human in his home and work scenes. He not only repeats the very particular expressions from his earlier road encounter with Teru which detracts from their meanings, but he too seems now to be more a fantasy figure, signing over his middle class house and professional work to the couple, and then alighting from Japan in search of true love.

Meanwhile, the gray suburban landscape with all its burgeoning gas tanks and poverty also gets the fantasy distraction. Leaping over puddles, flying airy balloons, white ceremonial pigeons, and romantic love, do not answer to the laundry or the tanks. The fuzziness is also apparent in the seemingly several endings-- 'is this the real ending or will there be one more.'

Imagine...

"Laundry" is a heartwarming story about Teru, a young man who suffered a brain injury at youth and Mizue, a single woman with many problems of her own. The setting of this film is extremely unlikely, but the attraction between these two were very convincing and beautiful. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this movie, it was very calm at start, and really made me feel warm inside during the second half.

Kubozuka Yousuke is my favorite actor, and he once again delivers an amazing performance. His portrayal of a pure hearted and honest young man really inspired me. Koyuki, who I generally thought to be a weak actress was surprisingly good in this movie, she was beautiful and fit the dark role perfectly. I was really able to sympathize with her character when she was sad, and inspired when she was doing her best to change. Naitou Takashi, who played "Sally" was also very entertaining with his serious yet comedic role.

This is a slow movie, but time just flew by for me. I was completely absorbed to the story. It was insanely well-directed with an excellent flow. Direction in this film may be the best I have ever seen. There were also few comedic reliefs that really helped. Music was also perfect, simple and touching. Acting, story, music, cinematography... all perfect, an easy 10/10.

There were couple of scenes that were extremely memorable, and I cried three times. The greatness of this film can't be described by words, you must see it for yourself.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. I really felt for the characters, especially Teru, played by Yosuke Kubozuka. The character is not overdone, and it seems real. Koyuki, who plays Mizue, did an excellent job as well. There's a definite sort of sadness and loneliness in both of their characters which I believe makes the them interact so well together.

But as a warning, this is definitely a slow paced movie, so if you don't have patience you might want to not watch this. I believe that this movie was good because of it's simplicity and the slow pace. Altogether an enjoyable experience!

A young man, who's mentally handicapped, meets a young woman, with a great deal of baggage, at the laundry where he works and they fall in love. This is a very quirky love story that was exactly what I wasn't in the mood for when I watched it. Still I stayed with it, so I laughed and cried a bit with these very quirky characters.

I'm of two minds about this movie. I want to say that this isn't a bad movie, which I know sounds like a backhanded compliment. But its the truth, its not a bad movie, so I feel rather bad having anything less than sterling about it. My problem is that the film is almost too quirky (A term I hate but unfortunately is the only thing that comes to mind when I think about this movie). Everyone is a "character" with quirky (forgive me) traits. This isn't bad, its just that I felt that my cup runneth over, especially when the film runs just over two hours.

At the same time you have to love a movie that treats its characters as individuals. I loved the fact that even though Teru, our hero, is handicapped he doesn't twitch or convulse or speak in a funny voice. He's just this guy, which is something that can be said about all of the characters, they just are. I also loved that the course of events seemed natural to the place that the story happens in, we don't have any weird twists at the end to make it more sad or more happy, its just what it is and it somehow makes sense.

I liked this but I wanted to love it. Certainly you should take a chance and see it if you come across it since it is quite good, though if you watch it like me, at one thirty in the morning, it may not hold your attention the way it should.

(Comments subject to change pending second viewing)