Sukida,

The maker of the beautiful Tokyo.Sora has outdone himself with what is one of the most touching love stories ever made. The film starts with two teenagers who fall in love but are unable to express themselves romantically. Every (awkward) silence seems filled with meaning and things left unspoken, accompanied by a guitar play which is constantly repeated but never fails to beguile us. Years later they meet again. A simple, minimalist concept but extremely effective. Ishikawa creates meaning not by plot complexities, but through the perfect simplicity of atmosphere, perfectly precise framing, perfectly subtle coloring, perfectly natural acting purified of all the remnants of theatricality which the medium never succeeded to fully shake off (not even through the work of Ozu), and by letting the open sky envelop the main characters as a rejuvenating force, that can grant us warmth and happiness on the one hand, yet can overwhelm and numb us on the other hand, if we fail to open ourselves up to it entirely. In the latter part, the sky is covered up by the drabness of city-life. Life is but a mere shadow of the past now and possibilities are reduced to the roads that lead only to the familiar. The more we yearn for the past, the more it slips out of our grasp. But even then, there is hope. 10/10

The film opens to a black screen, and suddenly a person's voice is overheard, they say, "Hey Yosuke… Do you remember? I remember…" and thus begins the beautiful film that is Su-Ki-Da (Japanese for "I Love You"). When I heard about this film a couple of months ago, and was fortunate to be able to view the trailer, I was instantly enthralled by the beautiful visuals that were presented in the trailer. I was finally able to obtain a copy of the movie (which has been recently released on DVD), and I can tell you this, I wasn't prepared for what the film had in store, visually as well as emotionally.

The film follows the lives of Yu and Yosuke, and the story spans from their teenage years all the way to their adulthood. Yu has a major crush on Yosuke, but she doesn't know how to express her feelings to him, but there is also a slight problem; Yosuke likes Yu's older sister…and you can probably tell by now there are going to be some problems that arise from this. We flash forward 17 years later, in which Yu and Yosuke run into each other by accident, and old feelings and regrets begin to come forth.What I loved about this film was that each actor played their parts so convincingly; you become absorbed into their world and truly care about the relationship of the two main characters and what the outcome of it will be. From the awkward moments of the characters trying to convey their feelings through words….but just can't, to the emotional reunion when they are adults, it's all presented so realistically that it hurts. Even though there is little dialogue throughout the film, the characters body language says more than any words could ever express.

As for the acting, it was superb to say the least; Actors Aoi Miyazaki (who plays Yu) and Eita (Who plays Yosuke) are fantastic in their roles of the young Yu and Yosuke. When the film shifts to their adult lives, Hiromi Nagasaku (who plays adult Yu) and Hidetoshi Nishijima (who plays adult Yosuke) takeover and were able to deliver the similar appearance of their youthful counterparts as well as their mannerisms. The cast did a great job, and the traversing between young adult to adulthood was handle very well. This film also had a lot of close-up shots of the characters, which made the film seem even more intimate.

One thing I just have to comment about though is the beautiful cinematography. Director Hiroshi Ishikawa is able give each shot an amazing amount of depth and emotion, and it certainly lends the film a poetic touch. Most of the film was done with an earthly color tone, giving the characters and backdrops a dull look, and it totally enhances the film's overall presences. The pacing of the film seemed a little slow at first, but definitely picks up, as well as builds up towards its conclusion.

For my final statement regarding Su-Ki-Da, is that it was a pleasure for me to watch, and I was spellbound every minute of it. It's the kind of film that will definitely stick with you long after you've seen it, mainly because of its heartfelt story. From the excellent visuals all the way to its great cast, Su-Ki-Da is a film that will definitely be in my collection. A notable classic in my books, I greatly recommend it.

p.s.: visit isugoi.com for more reviews

This is one of those movies with pretty much no music, only ambient noise and long drawn out scenes of people just being there staring silently in the distance and not saying anything because the pictures speak for themselves. Not saying this is necessarily bad, but you have to like it and be in the mood for it. It didn't really captivate me, I found it boring and too gloomy.

serenely beautiful film from hiroshi ishikawa.brilliant cinematography and top notch acting. i was really overwhelmed by the innate silence in this film.the minimalist dialogue really adds a new dimension to this film.there is almost non-existent back ground music which only increases the atmospheric feel.long drawn shots of the actors as they go through the gamut of emotions accentuates this effect.perhaps no film i've ever seen so easily proves that sometimes words don't matter,silence speaks volumes. aoi miyazaki gives a superlative performance as the teenage yu and later is followed suit by hiromi nagasaku as the older version. the plot in itself is pretty simple.it is the actors and the direction which makes watching this film worthwhile. the average movie-goer might find this film frustrating.watch it only if you are willing to put up with the silence. definitely a film i'm immensely glad i watched.

I felt Ishikawa's previous film, Tokyo.Sora, set out to make boring an accomplishment so I wasn't interested in seeing this until I discovered Hiromi Nagasaku in "Don't Laugh at My Romance" and "Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!". She's a very versatile actress who elevates every film she's in and brings the necessary talent to make this low-key character study work. The script and story here aren't much, typical melodrama, but Nagasaku, and her younger self counterpart played by Aoi Miyazaki, are truly engaging. I could literally see their thought and emotional processes. If you are going to leave the camera on an actor for minutes at a time without any dialog, you better have good actors. The director's signature long, pale, landscapey photography compliments well here.