The promotions for this film labeled it a thriller. But it's not. It's more than that. It's BETTER than that. When I think of a thriller I think of a film that is filled with climactic build ups and fast paced action. I love thrillers. But I also love films like The Village" which is kind of the opposite of a thriller... but in a GOOD way. It's really more a drama; a slow paced slow building film, that, even at it's crescendo, does not even attempt to deliver "thrills". Again I mean that in a GOOD way. Instead of thrills this delivers a thoughtful, metaphorical story about the rise and fall of an outsider with nuance and metaphor and underscored by tragedy. There is probably a lot of subtext I am missing due to cultural differences and my ignorance of Noh Theater. But overall I really like this film. Even though it is slow, there is something taut just beneath the surface. You can tell something is going to snap at any moment. And since it does not follow the standard American style of plot development, you have no idea when that snap is coming. It takes its time getting there but in the end delivers a satisfactory conclusion that doesn't forget any of the characters or their set-ups. And it is beautifully filmed. It's really more of a 7 but I gave it an 8 because it definitely doesn't deserve the 5 it is currently riding at.
