Village

No pun intended - I could have called this poison too. Even though there is no literal poison in this - well there is I guess, but more in an environmental sense than in the on purpose ... come to think of it, if you put stuff in the earth, that will make it poisonous ... you kind of know about it, so it isn't without purpose .. yes? And no pun intended, just in case.

The acting is really good and we get a really silent type. Someone who does not seem to be able to get a break ... being put down. By his own mother (money wise) and his past (some .. let's call it incident) and many other factors.

But with the return of a woman, there seems to be a glimmer of hope. Could that actually be? Well you have to watch and see ... this is really well done. Cinematography and storytelling go hand in hand. The acting is subtle and there may be things that western sensibilities may see as .. wrong. But if you suspend your disbelief ... there is a lot to discover and be held in suspension over ..

What a good surprise this drama from Japan, showing moving characters and relationship for a plot involving modern problems related to ecology. The main character is very interesting, I would say he is stealing the show, this poor guy for whom you fell the greatest empathy. Of course it can be seen as a slow motion story, and not necessarily understood my western countries audiences. A gloomy portrait of the today Japan maybe? A beautiful love story between this young man and his childhood girlfriend, gripping relationship. I am happy to have seen this movie, there should be more like this one, at least available in Europe, because I am sure there are plenty of them in distributors vaults around the world.

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.

With a lot of tradition and local values, we have a very sentimental film with an arc of the rise of the main character YUU KATAYAMA (Ryusei Yokohama) who is arrested for an alleged crime that his father committed and the debts of his mother who is addicted to gambling and drinking. Depressed, quiet, stooped and sad YUU working as a recycler sees his life change when his childhood friend MISAKI (Haru Kuroki) returns to Kamon village to be director of the company. Between passions, betrayals and secrets we see the value of those who stay or those who try to live outside the village, we see the value of keeping a lie to remain someone important to the village but it is the same lie that took away the honor of your father, like a criminal throughout YUU's life in the small town. The plans and cuts very well fitted and creative, we know well when we are in the present or in the past in flashbacks, scenes of a very strong fight, in sequence with little notable cuts, we can feel the punches much better than in boxing movies, good performances, very sentimental cries. A realistic film that strangely puts us in a breathing hole in the middle of the rubbish recycling site and doesn't explain anything to us. And that starts with his ending, but I believe it wasn't necessary, and MISAKI's ending was a little poorly explained. But it's a good film with photography without vibrant colors that passes the local sadness, good direction, not so much in editing, but great performances. Very sentimental cries. A realistic film that strangely puts us in a breathing hole in the middle of the rubbish recycling site and doesn't explain anything to us. And that starts with his ending, but I believe it wasn't necessary, and MISAKI's ending was a little poorly explained. But it's a good film with photography without vibrant colors that passes the local sadness, good direction, not so much in editing, but great performances. Very sentimental cries. A realistic film that strangely puts us in a breathing hole in the middle of the rubbish recycling site and doesn't explain anything to us. And that starts with his ending, but I believe it wasn't necessary, and MISAKI's ending was a little poorly explained. But it's a good film with photography without vibrant colors that passes the local sadness, good direction, not so much in editing, but great performances.

This is definitely a far superior film from director Michihito Fujii compared to his later one, Parades (both currently on Netflix).

I watched Parades first, and found it contrived and empty, filled with common uninteresting cliches, with annoyingly patronising music that attempts to force the viewers emotions.

The Village, on the other hand, has properly developed characters, and more scenes that allow viewers to meaningfully breathe and imbibe them without shoving it down their throats with contrived dialogue and cliched demeaning musical scores, although there were still some - but at a more tolerable level.

For instance, the scene in Parades with the 'spirits' parading/walking around was laughably bad; while the scene in The Village with people silently parading with Noi masks on were impactfully done.

I am bemused how the same director could deliver films with such a contrast with the earlier one mature and nicely understated, while the later one amateurish and contrived.

Acting in The Village was also evenly good with both minor and major characters, whereas the acting abilities in Parades were very uneven amongst the actors.

Obviously I'd recommend The Village but not Parades.