Reviews

Soulmate

Questo film mi ha parecchio stranito!
All'inizio pensavo fosse una classica situazione già vista, ovvero due migliori amiche che litigano perché innamorate dello stesso uomo, e invece qui c'è molto altro!
Alla base del film c'è un rapporto di amicizia forte ma complicato di due ragazze molto diverse tra loro che sono cresciute insieme! Nel corso della vita i loro sogni e desideri si sono scontrati con la dura realtà della vita e come capita in questi casi, ne prendono atto e percorrono la strada che gli si pone davanti, con tutte le conseguenze del caso!
Una delle protagoniste è Ahn Mi-Son (Kim Da-Mi) che interpreta sempre un personaggio carismatico e fragile allo stesso tempo, una persona a cui la vita non ha regalato niente e perciò è sempre alla ricerca del suo posto nel mondo che spesso é avverso nei suoi confronti, l'altra è Go Ha-Eun (Jeon So-nee) che è la classica ragazza perfettina con poco carattere a cui però sta stretta la sua vita e cerca anche lei di trovare la sua strada, o soprattutto di cercare se stessa! Il fulcro della situazione poi ruota intorno a Ham Jin-Woo (Byun Woo Suk) a cui avrei dato una testata dall'inizio alla fine ?, detto ciò non commento altro si di lui per non spoilerare niente ..
La mia preferita è Kim Da-Mi che dopo averla vista nella sua terza interpretazione, va finire nella vetta delle mie attrici coreane preferite perché ha un'espressività senza eguali, soprattutto calcolando che è giovanissima!
Il film in conclusione è molto crudo e mi ha lasciato tanta tristezza e amarezza, ma in ogni caso vale la pena essere guardato se avete due ore libere tra una la fine di una serie e l'altra.

Leia Mais

The more you don't know, the better it is!

I personally watched this for tao because i am such a big fan but basically i have no idea regarding the plot except for rinka, the wedding planner met the weird guy ; tomu.

surprisingly, there are a lot of depth and references here and there for me who just expecting it is just another serial killer thriller movie.

tsuchiya tao did great as always !! i think this may the first time i didnt see her smile much in a film :')

for sakuma who is a rookie actor, he also did well and matched with all the senior actors. well done, sakkun!

i recommend you to avoid any spoilers as much as you can so you can experience the value of this movie.

Leia Mais

Better than most BL series out there

20 minutes of short film can make you feel too much if it's written well, and this film was the perfect example of it. The storyline is heartbreaking yet beautiful because of its realistic essence. "The screen is the only place where you allow me to love you." This quote by the character played by Bible really hit hard. Garn loves Tul as a lover, for a long time, but Tul wants something else. He just wants a normal family, a normal kid, a normal life. He doesn't love Garn as a lover; his love for him isn't in a romantic way, and that's slowly eating Garn up. Knowing that the other person will never love you in a romantic way but still being with them for years is a true type of heartbreaking horror, like it's even worse than a normal heartbreak and being lonely. "I can love your daughter as well." Gosh, this quote even makes everything worse but it's adorable at the same time. For all the years he continued to love Tul, and now when Tul finally got what he always wanted (a family), Garn even decided to love his daughter as he watches his happiness from a distance. He was happy for him, but he wasn't happy with him.

At the end, he died with the same love for Tul, the same hopeless, unrequited love, and Tul decided to name his daughter after Garn to always have his memory. Heart-wrenching.The script was good, the acting was effortless, and the chemistry was nice.

To be honest, I kind of wish it were a series because I felt some parts of the story needed to have a spotlight, for example, exploring their relationship in depth and so on. Overall, it was a good and definitely well-acted short film.

Leia Mais

Intriguing Story

This movie was quite enjoyable. There was some predictability in the storyline with some questionable moments that made me go “of course that would happen or wow what a shocker (sarcasm),” but overall I can understand the high praise for this movie.

The Good

It was filled with high action from beginning to end and the overall story moved at a fast pace so things never got boring. Although I’m not familiar with all of the Chinese lore, it was neat to see it portrayed in a large feature film centered around war. The overall acting was a highlight here as most of the cast did a pretty decent job. Overall production was good with attention to details from the costumes, settings, hair and makeup, etc. wasn’t low budget at all. I’m glad the run time was also a little longer to give time to actually tell the story without it feeling rushed or too incomplete for the first installment.

The Bad

Not much in the way of character and world building. Most of the movie was shot in 1 or 2 locations. Though there was a summarized backstory in the very beginning, would have like to see this go deeper and explain more of the war backstory and king’s backstory in more detail so we could connect more to the story and motivations. Again, as mentioned at the beginning, there was some predictability in the story that I wish would have been turned more into an interesting twist. The OST was okay but not very memorable.

I’d recommend a watch for this movie if you like high action and stories about Gods.

Leia Mais

A movie that released 14 years ago, yet the sentiment lives on like the fresh blooming of a hawthorn flower. My nature has scarce attachments to true-story films, but I stumbled upon this film out of boredom. I wanted to feel something, something new. A few things bothered me at first: there was barely any background music, the lighting was dark, and the slow pacing inclined my impatience to check the timestamps every 10 minutes. These impressions all dispersed in an instant by the hands of the plot's historical and emotional insightfulness. Sun and Jing's love story gave us a glimpse at life during China's cultural revolution movement. I harbored little memory of it from my history course, but my eyes have truly been opened to just how scant their freedom was. Having an opinion could put you in jail or under probation. One wrong move, thinking of a future is the last thing people think of. Everyone sacrifices a bit of their humaneness just to see a tomorrow. But ironically, humans will still yearn ways to stay human. I was at the edge of seat watching Jing and Sun's love story unfold. My heart especially goes for two scenes. First, the scene where Sun cuts his arm so Jing could receive medical care on her foot. The show initially displayed wholesome interactions between the two, so imagine my surprise when I watched this guy start to bleed quite a lot just for a girl he had met recently. Secondly, the ending. Sun dies of leukemia. I cannot tell you how tearjerking this was. He stuck a photo they took together previously up on the ceiling before his last breaths. His body was pale and inhumane, yet he shed his last tear after hearing Jing's voice. It was an ending I never expected, but still realistic considering the medical knowledge they had back then. One last note: I really admired the touch of characterism they gave for Sun's mother. How before she ended her own life, she wanted die looking pretty. It meant his mother cared about her reputation, but I guess it was just too unbearable at some point. Overall, I think all walks of life should watch Under the Hawthorn Tree once in their life. It reminds us of our roots. Even if you may not share the culture, the message remains universal: to realise gratitude for the freedom we swim in everyday, which was unfortunately something Sun and Jing never had.

Leia Mais

Lovely

Story : Simple story, straight to the point and efficient.

Acting/Cast : As a man i will only talk about the female main role because i think we watch these to relate in some way to story and the feelings going on during the scenes as the counter part of the main actor/actress.
Her acting was touching, her expressions of feelings were heartbreaking.

Physical appearance : natural beauty is something i value very much, i think it makes her prettier than any more famous star doll (even more than the ones considered "beautiful").
With or almost without makeup, she is definitely attractive in her own ways, and my standards.

Artistic direction :
- There weren't many different landscapes, which means that they didn't have a big budget, mostly indoors, and they managed to make a good movie.

- Too many drama/movies nowadays take the easy road of sexual lust (this includes kisses a bit too visual), mistakenly confusing it with erotic genre (relating to or tending to arouse sexual desire or excitement) and forgetting the whole point of what is supposed to be a romantic drama. To each its own, i am old fashioned.

Leia Mais

Masterclass Acting Meets Messy Plot

As a die-hard fan of the drama series, I was both excited and a bit wary about how they'd condense my beloved storyline into a neat 100-minute package. Let's just say, it was a ride.

From the get-go, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia as familiar faces graced the screen. Greg Hsu, you're a legend, my friend. His transformation into different characters is a masterclass in acting — I mean, does he have a switch for those mannerisms?

But let's talk plot. Imagine trying to explain a multi-layered time-travel puzzle over a quick coffee break. Yep, that's how it felt. There were moments where I felt like a detective with a corkboard and red string, trying to piece it all together. Paradoxes? Oh, they were there, dancing around like they owned the place.

Now, despite the mental gymnastics, the cinematography was on point. Every frame felt like a painting, especially those rain scenes (though I could've used a few more seconds of that remake, just saying).

And the music! Wu Bai's "Last Dance" was hauntingly beautiful, though by the end, I was ready to slow dance with a paracetamol. The soundtrack hit all the right notes, literally and emotionally.

Overall, "Someday or One Day: The Movie" is like that wild rollercoaster you hop on without fully knowing where it'll take you. It had its highs (acting chops and visuals) and a few loops that left me scratching my head (time travel, anyone?). Would I recommend it? For sure, especially if you're up for a brain-teasing, emotional rollercoaster. Just don't forget your headache pills along for the ride!

Leia Mais

A raw glimpse into the reality of child abuse

I thoroughly hated every single second of this movie. Which is why, despite rarely writing reviews, I had to write this one.
I hated this movie with a passion. And that's what makes it so good. The direction of this movie perfectly captures the feeling of domestic abuse. This has to be the slowest movie I've watched in my entire life. Painfully slow. Which is exactly the point... and anyone who understands what it's like to be abused as a child knows it all too well. You think that a 2 hour movie is long? Imagine how long and insufferable every day in Shuhei's life was. Imagine being a kid and every single second you're wondering how much more you have left of this. Shuhei spends his whole life waiting for something to happen, for something to change, for a happy ending, knowing it'll never come. The pure frustration I felt with every stagnant moment of this movie is welcome.

The movie also perfectly highlights the possessive and yet contradictory nature of neglective parents. Shuhei's mother spends her entire motherhood either exploiting Shuhei or ignoring his existence completely. And yet, whenever her parenting is criticised or custody of her children is threatened, she repeatedly says that "They're my children.". Even after she forces Shuhei into prison and her daughter gets taken, she continues to echo this line. Perfectly sums up how abusers don't actually love their kids or value their lives but rather value the control that they have over them. For an abusive adult with insecurities, asserting dominance over and exploiting their children for personal gain is the only thing that makes them feel in control in their own lives. And yet this sentiment is often masked with phrases such as "They're my children" and "I gave birth to them" and "I can raise them how I want", all of which are said in the movie. This is the reality of child abuse - an issue that is so often hidden under the power of ownership and the guise of parental choice.

The real hitter comes when you see Shuhei grow up and yet nothing has changed. The time skip with no warning, only to see Shuhei and his sister on the streets leaves the audience feeling even more hopeless than before. Shuhei's obedience to his mother intentionally makes us feel both anger and pity. It leaves the viewer restless and frustrated, asking ourselves "Why can't he just say no?". But the movie answers the question before you can even ask it. Same thing with Shuhei's infuriatingly bland character. Shuhei lacks all personality and rarely speaks. The drawn out silences and the blank expressions that fill the screen every time it's on him leave you desperate for him to say something, so that we as the audience can get to know who he is and see more of his "personality", but we never do. This movie doesn't sell a story, it sells reality. The reality being that child abuse goes beyond childhood. The reality is that children who are abused, manipulated and isolated from society don't have the opportunity to develop into functioning adults who can stand up for themselves or even have a sense of identity. We see this so many times throughout the movie as Shuhei's mother trains him, almost like a dog, to only follow the commands of adults. We see it again when Aya (the social worker) asks Shuhei what his dream is and he says he doesn't know.

I love the mirroring between Aya and Shuhei's characters. Aya grew up in an abusive household but managed to overcome it all, growing up to become a social worker. I would argue that the climax of this whole movie isn't even Shuhei murdering his grandma. The climax of this movie is when Shuhei asks sheepishly if he can stay behind to attend school instead of going on the run with his mum and "stepdad" for the 100th time. This brief and calm moment in the movie is, in my opinion, the most exciting. As a viewer, it's the moment you've been waiting for the whole time. The moment of change. Only to be mercilessly let down as Shuhei's first stance of individuality is brutally shut down. It is a small moment in the movie but a big moment for Shuhei's character and, most importantly, it puts hope into the viewer's hearts only to rip it away seconds later. This is the reality of child abuse. This is the frustration and emotional whiplash that you should feel while watching this. And it shows that Aya's (and the demographic of society that she represents) efforts to change the course of Shuhei's life can't outdo the impact of his childhood training and his mother's ongoing abuse.

The setting is also great. Shuhei's mother denies him the opportunity to go to school, for the entirety of his upbringing. Almost every scene takes place in a cramped and cluttered room, making the viewer feel suffocated. Those tiny rooms were Shuhei's whole world, only occupied by him, his mum, her occasional lovers and the trash surrounding him. The feeling of second-hand claustrophobia and suffocation pushed onto the audience in every scene is one of my favourite aspects of the movie. Again, those who have been abused know this feeling all too well. It's like there isn't a world outside the tiny house where your abuser keeps you. Another great use of direction to show this feeling is in the American show "Maid" where the woman being abused is slowly swallowed by the couch she sleeps on.

The only reason I gave this show 7.5 is because there are a few things that don't add up to me. I don't understand why his mum told him to kill his grandma for money. Didn't the grandma say that she was disowning her? But, assuming the mum can still somehow claim inheritance: I'm assuming that the plan is that Shuhei murders her and then takes all the blame so that his mum can live freely with the inheritance. The issue is that none of this is really explained clearly so the ending ends up being a bit confusing when first watching. I also don't understand why his mother only lost custody of his younger sister after he was put in prison.

Leia Mais

Oh dear….

I have so much to say about this but I truly do not know how to put my thoughts into words without it becoming a tangent so I’m gonna try my best.

Someone described it has a proper queer movie & I could not agree more! It had everything you could ask for…passion..angst…EVERYTHING!

I started off the movie gutted I hadn’t watch it a lot sooner…if only I had remembered why I initially didn’t watch it the first time it was on my radar…If only.

It’s honestly been a while since a queer movie moved me - or got a reaction this did out of me…I literally bawled my eyes out (non stop) in the remaining half of the movie.

I do have to say I went in blind not fully reading the synopsis due to the fact that many synopsis on here tend to contain spoilers, then about 5 minutes in I thought to come back and read it properly. While the thought of something tragic happening did cross my mind. I was not expecting what I got cause I thought ‘gone are the days of queer cinema with sad endings’…..How naive I was.

Lastly, I know this is fictional - but, Kosuke was definitely a godsend to that family and I could not help but hurt for him.

The cast did a fantastic job portraying these nuance characters. We need more of this in Asian queer cinema…of course with more happy endings.

Leia Mais