Tokimeki ni shisu

This is almost a minimalistic art piece, but there is practically no attention drawn to the artistic side of it making it work more like a moody drama, however, attached to that mood and drama is the ever-present awareness that death in the form of murder is going to happen. "Deaths" in the title and the first thing the movie tells us is that someone is going to be killed - inevitable death surrounds the mood. Who, how, why? It's not at all made clear for most of the movie, and we don't need to know because the characters clearly have a set purpose and we believe it - we just have to wait, like they do. By the start of the 3rd act everything is made clear what is supposed to happen, but we still don't know if it is going to or how it is going to play out.

The directing is excellent. A lesser hand and this would have been a bore-fest. As it was, I was almost enchanted.

This is not really a "crime" movie, definitely more a drama with a subtle backdrop of crime elements. A bit weird, a bit haunting. Recommended for those looking for something different who don't need action in their crime dramas.

6.6/10