Debukochi

This is one of my favorite films, of short or full-length. This moving opus addresses two instances of profound loss. One is obvious to any viewer who watches it to completion. The other may be difficult to realize without re-watching the beginning until 2:38. It's the loss of never seeing the beauty and wonder already present in our life, if we only would think to look for it.

The Portuguese have a word, saudade, which challenges translation into English. It speaks to a bittersweet melancholy born out of longing for a loved person, place, or time in our life that is forever gone. "It is painful, yet you yearn for it because you only feel saudade when you deeply love." --Beatriz Vasconcellos

Perhaps this film is the visual translation of saudade.

This one is easy. If you like Transformer movies or think that you'll see Joaquin Phoenix "bust some heads," like he did in "You Were Never Really Here" and "Joker," save your money. This is not your film.

If you are a parent, stepparent, relative, or anyone who has had to provide care for children under less than idealized conditions, you'll probably find this film as touching and endearing as I did. John Lennon's, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." speaks directly to this movie's journey into the realm human emotion, vulnerability, and resiliency.

The film's dialog and narratives, featuring both interviews with children and passages from children's books could not be more relative and poignant.

I suspect that this movie is yet another victim of the "Something in the plot didn't go the way I wanted to." markdown. It's a well-crafted movie with excellent performances (even the kids) that provides a compelling plot twist, esp. To parents and ol' fogies like me. With all MKS movies, it keeps you guessing as to "why?" throughout most of the movie, providing a convincing reasoning of why at its conclusion. For me, it was well-worth the price of streaming.

If I had one criticism of the movie, it would be the extent to which MKS insists on including himself in his movies. I understand that it is an homage to Hitchcock but it comes off like breaking the fourth wall. The briefest of moments where one has to intentionally look to spot him would seem sufficient for this purpose. His actual speaking role in the movie, IMO, goes too far and disrupts the movie's illusion of reality in the viewer's mind. Perhaps that feature provides insight as to the undeservedly low review ratings.