“His” is a truly beautiful movie. It’s equal parts heart-warming and heart-wrenching. But more than anything, it is a thoroughly satisfying 2-hour journey. I encourage everyone to watch it. Be warned that it’s probably a good idea to have a box of tissues beside you as there are some moments that touch one’s soul.

Please don’t read past here if you haven’t yet seen the movie. Watch it first and then come back and read this review if you feel inspired. There are spoilers below.

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This is one of those rare gems of a movie that stayed in my mind, for all the right reasons, long after I finished watching. And the more I think about it, the more impressed I become with the script-writing and the directing.

Screenwriter Atsushi Asada and Director Imaizumi Rikiya have done an incredible job with this presentation. It’s not rushed. It’s not complicated. It’s not dramatic. But it DEFINITELY IS rewarding viewing. I can’t get it out of my mind that this story is based on someone’s real-life experience because everything about the movie shines with authenticity.

We enter the lives of two gay men who break up shortly after the audience arrives. We are then fast forwarded a number years, and the man who was responsible for the break up returns with a six-year-old daughter. He’s on the cusp of a divorce. The story that follows is how two gay men, a devastated wife and a young girl struggle with Life and, ultimately, build a bridge to Happiness.

The main characters: Igawa Shun hasn’t been able to fully accept his homosexuality; Hibino Nagisa leaves Shun and marries a few years later; Hibino Rena is Nagisa’s wife; Hibino Sora is Nagisa’s and Rena’s daughter. The actors who play these roles were completely immersed in their characters and, as a consequence, the “believability factor” of this story is enormous.

"His" about coming out and community acceptance of a gay relationship. It’s also about two men raising a young girl. The movie covers Family Law and legal prejudice, and looks at the hurdles created by emotions. The message that stayed with me the most, though, is that a person should never lose sight of what matters in Life. Moreover, when a person does the wrong thing to someone else, sincerely apologise. It is through an honest and heartfelt apology that a pathway to resolving conflict is created.