37 Seconds

It's hard for me to write a review with a lot of details because I am also disabled and it takes me a lot of time and energy to do so. That being said, it is not hard for me to sympathize with the struggle Yuma is facing, because I, myself, have to go through a similar experience.

This movie is the definition of why I love Japanese cinema - Their movies are about people, people who actually exist in the real world and no one is talking about them. Families that the majority of us would never get to experience their story otherwise or through another culture.

This movie is about real life, and how a person with disabilities slowly starts to become independent and be a part of the outside world. Obviously, it's not easy for these people, and it's certainly not something they can do by themselves, but the last thing anyone wants in this life is to be treated like a stranger and to be reminded of their "weaknesses".

Disabled people might not have the physical capabilities of a non-disabled person, and they definitely need some support and physical assistance, but apart from that, they're just like everyone else - they need friends, relationships, jobs, education, self-esteem, confidence and most importantly, to be treated like a normal human being. This movie addresses all of that perfectly and I would love to see more like this.

I only write the occasional review here. I dont do it nearly enough as I feel strongly about film as a medium and a tool to tell a story.

So i asked myself what if this was a book? Would it still work? I asked myself that as I thought of Mei Kayama performance. It is the best performance I have ever seen. It is hard to compare different performances. It is almost like comparing sports.. So one of the reasons why it was so good is that Mei Kayama's sweet voice is perfect for the sweet nature of the girl she portrays. I have a soft spot for coming of age movies. (the best one until this one was Reflecting skin) I really don't want to tell anything more. Well the camerawork and direction is excellent. They catch the right moments. I found the short scene were the camera was far away and Mei was having a talk with "the driver" was fantastic. Why I won't tell you. You 'll have to see it for yourself.

Anyway to answer my original question? Like forest of love ,which has quite the opposite form of acting, the movie is the better medium to tell the story. Sometimes a performance is so great that under the right direction no book can equal it.

A rating of ten can't be based on a single performance in a movie. There is also story, camerawork, director, other cast members. So mei's performance is perfect for me. the whole movie revolves about Mei's coming of age. and the entire cast, story, every detail revolves about that. There is not a second wasted (pun not intended)

The picture that Mei drew was perfect and I cant wait to see other work from her (this was her debut) The director/writer is one to watch too. However she has set a really high standard for herself with this. And a movie half as good as this would still be dsmn close to perfect. So i hope she (Hikari) continues to make movies like that or will be able to tell other stories with no waste. I think For Hikari the film is also about talking about people with disabilities. This is an issue in almost every culture not Japan alone though. Hikari managed to talk about it in such a way that we saw Yuma in the beginning as a wheelchair bound weak person very much because we (society,family/her mother) put her there.. And thus the director portrays Yuma like that. However at the end we see a different Yuma . the transformation is subtle. Yuma is still Yuma. Nothing feels out of place. So wlell dome director hats of... While not as spectacular visual transformation like in a david lynch movie . where the transformation is so big there is even a different actor the transformation of yuma before or eyes is nothing short of impressive.. how it all changes... well you have to watch movie. l

The film touches on a lot of issues concerning disability, but does very little with each of them before jumping to the next one. And then, towards the second half, the movie changes direction to focus on Yuma's complicated family history rather than her personal struggles; it feels as a contrived pretext to not really answer the questions of the first half about love and sex, but just say "she reconciled with her mom, so everything is fine".

Annoyingly, most of the conflict in the film is resolved by the fact that Yuma is a very talented artist, kind of wealthy, pretty, kind, and well-adjusted to be independent. So the moment she makes some good friends, it seems like all her troubles disappear. It's one of those cases where the story looks as if it's centered around social issues, but in reality it's more about the character dealing with mental barriers, and once those are overcome the film forgets about all the systemic problems which are still there.

And then, the friends she gets sort of fall out of the sky, and immediately decide to take care of her for no apparent reason; they are the nicest, most supportive, and least judgemental people in the world. So again, the film takes the easy way out and avoids dealing with any of the problems people with disabilities encounter in more realistic, flawed friendships.

By watching just the trailer, I knew right away that this was a must-see.

The story was well told and delivered. The beginning might feel slow but you really felt like you were in the protagonist's shoes. The actors and the story made you feel like you were truly this little vulnerable and day-dreaming, yet curious and adventurous girl. (No spoilers?) Especially when it came to the climax, we all can relate to this kind of 37-second situations in our life. (No spoilers?)

If you like to follow a person's journey through their beautiful life story, this is one you shouldn't miss.

I could feel everything Yuma was going through. It wasn't spelled out for the audience like most movies. This is a testament to the acting, directing and writing. It's ironic that Mei Kayama, the star of the movie, gets third billing in the cast, much like her disabled character.