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Mezon do Himiko (2005)
Love this movie - very layered, a gentle storytelling with nice performances
Every time I watch this film I discover some new little thing - some new idea, new layer of meaning, new way of seeing one of the characters. Whether the director intended to or not, this film is *not* simply about accepting others for who they are. Also, contrary to what another reviewer seems to feel, the story isn't improbable, and the plot *is* well fleshed out. If you have no appetite however for nuance and complex emotions, then don't see this film.
One of the key ideas epitomized by Saori, the main character, is that of being true to oneself - risk the truth because living a lie will not only cause pain to yourself, but also to others - her father didn't start his life truthfully, and so the result is that she's become an angry young woman. This idea is also evident in her "almost" love scene with the capricious Haruhiko, where she senses that he's not truly "into" her - she just happened to evoke an admiration from him at a moment that he's been particularly vulnerable sexually (due to his lover's illness); his desire is mutable, but ultimately she knows she's not really what he wants to satiate him, and perhaps *he's* not what she wants to satiate her. (Contrast it to the forceful grasping of her boss, which she does respond to.) Also, she comes to accept and even like the other characters, but without denying her own sullen and angry nature.
The acting is very good, and the dialogue is succinct, so you have the opportunity to read more story in the characters' faces. And you want to, because the characters each have a lot of appeal. The movie is *not* full of "flaming gay" stereotypes, but anyhow, how could it be truthful if it didn't have any queens? There's definitely humor, sadness and longing, and hope; it's a gentle storytelling, with nice music by the way. Definitely makes me want to see other films by this director.