Kûchû teien

A wonderful art-house film. Hanging Garden is a story of a complicated family with the motto: "No secrets in the house" where everyone is always smiling with a 'mask' on. It was quite interesting to see how this dysfunctional family kept itself together.

Koizumi Kyouko was fantastic in the role of the mother with a dark past. This movie is just so well-directed and camera-work is incredible. Even though majority of the scenes were shot in very ordinary urban environment, there were many stunning scenes. I must admit I didn't appreciate the constant 360 degrees rotation of the camera, I guess it's reference to the rotating bed in the love hotel, but it kind of disoriented me after a while... not the best film to watch when you're sleep deprived.

I didn't really expect too much at the beginning of this film, but I was completely absorbed by the story as the movie progressed. I especially love the ending because I'm a sucker for epiphany scenes in movies, and the one in this movie is possibly the ultimate. A very satisfying viewing experience, this film deserved a lot more awards.