Happy Hour

Giving a feeling of Bergman meets Romer, this movie is very intimate, and quietly leaves deep traces for long after seeing it. About the ambiguity of love, power of friendship, transformation and intimacy, an emotional journey.

Through 4 different characters, the movie make us share the life of today Japan, and the legitimate questions you can encounter in your couple. Necessarily slow, it is a good movie to make us think about our life. True and accurate insight in the woman soul. To be watched in a quiet place.

This starts out as a really interesting movie about four Japanese 30ish women and how they (mis)manage their lives and the lives of those around them in search of things we are never quite sure of. The film is very good at bringing you close to their world, but keeping you at arms length at the same time, and the characters take turns in being more or less likeable/relatable, but often come off as aliens floating through contemporary Japanese society and trying to communicate (or not- "communication" is the key theme). I don't know the reality of said society, but I have met enough alienated and unhappy people in my own to suggest it rings true, specific cultural issues non-withstanding. That part of the movie was fascinating, including insights into family, divorce, relationships, honor, etc. But the issue is not really the five-hour length, probably used to suggest the real-life unwinding of issues; although it doesn't help. For me the main problem was the long expository conversations/monologues, the many side stories and secondary characters popping in and out, the serious issues that come up with no background (that they have often no resolution is fine by me), and the fact the the actors often seem more part of an acting experiment using amateurs, than players in a movie, which actually seems to be the case. Most actors do a fine job (some are more wooden), but it does feel like an exercise. As a "completist" that watches all movies to the end on principle, I nevertheless felt I would have gotten the same messages by watching any 90-120 minutes of the whole length.

This movie focuses on 4 Japanese women in their late thirties. We follow their daily lives and their personal journeys. These 4 friends realize that they are unhappy with their (love) lives and they try to take back control. Several interesting topics are addressed, such as the lack of communication in relationships, the emancipation of women and the quest for self-fulfillment. The 4 non professional actresses give good performances and we get attached to their characters. Being immersed in the Japanese culture is also an enlightening experience. However, the movie is long. Some cuts could have been made.

Binged this 317-minute realistic drama about four female friends who come to grips with their feelings of doubt and disappointment as they enter middle age, in particular with the relational shortcomings of men. The slow, detailed narrative, with its prolonged scenes and interwoven story lines around a centering drama and unique structural elegance, mesmerized me. This is rare, meaty fare far afield from the happily-ever-after screenplays that are all too common among Japanese movies, at least the ones I've watched heretofore on Amazon Prime.