xmm-98128
Joined Feb 2019
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xmm-98128's rating
I think it's a good film overall, but I have to acknowledge quite a few flaws. I'd like to start with the beginning of the film, which is frankly impactful, with a teacher as a character who announces a film based on power relations. But this introduction unfortunately doesn't live up to its promise. We become very attached to the character. We follow him throughout his daily life, but there's little interaction with his parents, and little interaction with new characters. We had some hope with the guidance counselor's intervention, but there too, the promise isn't kept. This film is promising; it has ideas, is well-executed, and convincing acting. Where it falls short is the weakness of the relationships/interactions, the pathos of the father and mother, which adds nothing to the action. It's a real shame. That said, it's still a film that's worth watching. So I give it 6 stars out of 10.
I really liked this film because it met my expectations: the typically Japanese sensibility, the representation of life as one could live it. The story as a whole is interesting and the initial idea quite powerful. On the other hand, I thought it would touch me more deeply. While the whole thing is pleasant to watch, thanks to the quality of the framing and the acting, it nevertheless tends to drag without being overwhelming emotions. I do, however, recognize the quality of the screenplay, where "the circle is complete," an appreciable trait of good Japanese cinema. In summary, it is a film to see, without reaching the heights of certain other films dealing with these subjects (family, adoption, etc.), such as the films of Kore-Eda.
You need a fair bit of luck to find this little gem of independent cinema. Because even for a devoted admirer of Sandrine Bonnaire, it had escaped me. So it was with a curious eye that I watched this film. In an almost Rohmerian style, it is the story of the emotional turmoils of three sensitive characters. I first of all really appreciated the style of the film: the authentic sets (apartments and mansion), the colors, the camera movements. The story is solid, does not bore us despite an apparent slowness: it is definitely not so, thanks to a mastery of the almost incessant movements, and the powerful performance of the actors: in restraint and coldness allowing a transmission of emotions, associated with an homage to the male beauty (Blain, worhty heir of his father). The ending can seem a little disconcerting, but it is the poetic part that prevails. In conclusion, a forgotten pearl in the career of Bonnaire - who, all in all, shows once again her capacity to give a unique depth to her characters; an interesting study of doubts and troubles in love and friendship.