I happened to get a chance to sit down and watch the 2014 movie "Gift" from writer Yukari Nakamura and director Tarô Miyaoka here in 2020. Now, I should say that I hadn't even heard about this movie prior to sitting down to watch it, so I had no expectations for the movie in any way. And truth be told, the fact that it is a Japanese movie was more than sufficient to make me want to sit down and watch it.
And while "Gift" definitely is not your average drama, then it should be said that I really found the movie to be interesting and enjoyable. Sure, this is not a mainstream movie that will find appeal with just everyone in the audience, because the storyline is rather unique.
The storyline in "Gift" was definitely something I hadn't seen before, and that was a good thing, because it left the movie feeling very unique. So a big thumbs up for writer Yukari Nakamura on that accomplishment. And also to director Tarô Miyaoka in the way that the story was brought to life on the screen.
"Gift" is a heavy character driven drama, without a whole lot of action or fast paced events. As such, then I think the movie will have a select audience.
And there weren't a lot of people on the cast list, so you didn't have to relate to a lot of people, for better or worse. That meant that the lead performers had more weight on the shoulders in order to perform and carry the movie. Which, I am glad to say, that both Ken'ichi Endô (playing Zenzo Shinozaki) and Atsuko Anami (playing Naoko Toda) both managed to do. Both really put on very good and realistic performances in portraying their characters, and they acted quite well opposite one another.
I was genuinely entertained by "Gift", and if you enjoy the Japanese cinema, then it is quite worth taking the time and effort to sit down and watch. I am rating "Gift" a well-deserved six out of ten stars.
