Reviews

"Am I a coward?"

Portrait of Madame Yuki was a strange and twisted tale from Mizoguchi Kenji. Ostensibly about male domination, it felt more like a toxic relationship based on S & M.

Yuki and her husband live apart most of the time, but have reunited over the death of the family patriarch. All that they have left is the estate she owns. Her husband has a mistress and is a wastrel with money. Yuki and her friend, Professor Kikunaka, decide to open her house as an inn in order for her to make money and become independent. The servants all believe she’s in love with the professor but their relationship always comes across as platonic, though his feelings may run deeper. Her husband isn’t afraid to bring his mistress home or even to force himself on Yuki. Regardless of how badly he humiliates her, Yuki can never tell him no. The professor tries to convince Yuki to divorce her husband, but the “demon” inside her won’t let him go even when he attempts to steal her home out from under her.

The version I watched of this film was difficult to follow at first as whoever/whatever did the translations completely messed up the English pronouns. Yuki was often referred to as him, her, or it. Plural pronouns were also used for singular people interspersed with singular ones in the wrong tense. It took a while to figure out if it was Yuki’s father or her husband’s father who died and whether it was the husband, Yuki, or himself the professor was talking about in a conversation. Other than that annoyance, the story itself was not a pleasant one. Despite the professor encouraging Yuki to be strong and stand up for herself and do the things that would make her life better, Yuki usually collapsed into a heap blubbering about how she was a coward, defeated, and not strong. Ultimately, no matter how badly her husband treated her, she could not resist whatever he did in the bedroom. Instead of embracing this part of herself or cutting ties with her husband, she chose to suffer. She always seemed to be slumped over, most likely because she was lacking a backbone.

This film was beautifully shot both indoors and outdoors. Mizoguchi certainly had an excellent eye for framing scenes. The acting was all very good, Kogure played Yuki as a pathetic creature ruled by her demons, Yanagi gave the husband a twisted sense of resentment toward his wife, and Hamada with her gum snapping duplicitous Ayako rounded out the reluctant ménage à trois. Based on the synopsis, I thought that Hamako would have a bigger role, but she was mostly relegated to the background after Yuki was introduced.

Portrait of Madame Yuki ended up being a depressing look at a woman who felt trapped by societal constraints and her own despised appetites. If you are looking for a tragic film with an open attitude toward sex (1950’s style) and are a fan of Mizoguchi’s work, this might be one to try.

*If suicide is a trigger for you, please do not watch this film. There is a lot of talk about suicide, a suicide attempt, and completion.*

13 June 2024

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Lhasa must be a city that is both familiar and unfamiliar to everyone. Perhaps it is a holy place in everyone’s heart, a place worth visiting in a lifetime. It is the center of Tibet, the heart of the roof of the world, and the farthest city from the earth. It is the place closest to the sky and the most religious place. Speaking of the city name Lhasa, it makes countless travelers yearn for it.
After Zhang Zhehan experienced frustration, he chose to ride in Lhasa to find himself.
Taking a trip to Lhasa in August, I also calmed down, threw away any distracting thoughts in my heart, and found the final destination of my soul.
I recommend this video. You can watch it when you encounter setbacks or feel irritable and find the strength to start again.

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brought light to a serious matter

although the acting was amateur, the story is good. it’s got a deeper meaning that’s surface level.

the girls in this minus the mother were the worst. and I hated that nothing actually happened to the bullies… any of them in the end.

but surprisingly we did get an hea, and you can tell it wasn’t a bromance hea.

I think it’s worth a shot to watch it.

the mom was best in all of this in the end and I’m glad he had someone on his side. well two people.

it really did bother me not one person that bullied him got anything. it was all just forgotten. and I do wish we got to see how he handled everything later on especially at school. did he stay in same school?

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Ho trovato questo film per caso e la prima cosa che mi ha colpito è stato il nome, un nome che mi ha incuriosito e portato a voler vedere questo film a tutti i costi.
Leggendo la trama si può ben capire che la storia non è una facile, è piena di situazioni sconvenienti ma, nonostante ciò, non mi aspettavo chissà quale finale, ho veramente pensato “cosa può mai succedere”. Beh…sbagliavo. Non credo di aver pianto così tanto da quando ho visto 20th Century Girl… Ne sono uscita distrutta, semplicemente distrutta.
Nonostante i miei infiniti pianti penso che questo film sia stupendo sotto tanti punti di vista ma una delle cose che più mi ha colpito e su cui ho più riflettuto è stato il modo in cui il titolo può essere interpretato.
Mi spiego, prima di iniziare il film avevo interpretato il titolo in una singola maniera, come se non potesse essere tanto profondo, ma in realtà mi sbagliavo. Durante il film si è potuto vedere bene come in realtà ci siano veramente tante definizioni di “man in love”.
Nella prima parte del film, “man in love” era rappresentato dal modo in cui A Cheng si era innamorato a prima vista di Wu e stava provando in tutte le maniere possibili di convincerla a uscire con lui; ho veramente amato il modo in cui ha provato a farla stare bene, le ha preso da mangiare e l’abbia aiutata con suo padre, infatti non a caso una delle mie scene preferite è proprio quella in cui A Cheng ha fatto di tutto per organizzare un degno funerale per il padre di Wu. Lì si è visto tantissimo il modo in cui lui tiene a lei e la ami sinceramente, anche lei se n’è resa conto.
In seguito, questa definizione di “man in love” è stata approfondita dalla loro relazione, con un amore così sincero e bello da far piangere. E mi è piaciuto tanto il modo in cui A Cheng abbia deciso di mettere fine al suo lavoro, perché alla fine neanche gli piaceva, lui non era quel tipo di persona e si vedeva.
Purtroppo dopo di ciò A Cheng ha fatto un grave errore, ossia fidarsi di quella vecchia bastarda, così ha preso tutti i soldi che erano rimasti a loro due e ha tentato l’impossibile.
Mi aspettavo finisse male ed è stato lì che la definizione di “man in love” ha avuto un cambiamento drastico rispetto a quello di prima. Infatti, dopo questo accaduto, la definizione di “man in love” è cambiata nel modo in cui ha scelto di usare cattive parole per esprimere un messaggio così profondo che non può essere capito se non lo si prova. Le ha fatto capire che lui non l’ha mai amata, quando in realtà quello che intendeva era che Wu non lo meritava, non meritava un uomo che non è stato in grado di fare del bene alla donna che ama con tutto se stesso. Si è fatto accecare e ha fatto una scelta terribile, non è affidabile e per questo non può stare con lei, perché lei non lo merita. Non merita una vita con un uomo così poco affidabile. Questo era quello che A Cheng intendeva con quelle parole ed è qui che il significato del titolo ha avuto una grande profondità.
Dopo di ciò, A Cheng è finito in prigione e dopo essere stato rilasciato il significato di “man in love” è cambiato nuovamente. Lì per lì, per A Cheng rimaneva solo il dovere di dover ridare Wu quello che le aveva tolto, quei soldi. L’ho visto così disperato, mi ha fatto scendere una lacrimuccia, per lui veramente era importante ridarle quei soldi.
In questa fase, ancora più importante è stato il modo in cui A Cheng, sapendo della sua malattia, ha pensato che dopo un padre morto non poteva aggiungere alla vita di Wu anche un compagno destinato a morire, sarebbe stato veramente ingiusto nei suoi confronti.
A Cheng ha pensato solo che Wu dovesse essere felice, meritava una vita così una volta per tutte. Infatti mi ha preso fin troppo la scena in cui lui la vede a cena con quel ragazzo che la trattava così bene, lei sorrideva e così come lei, anche A Cheng ha sorriso, con quel velo di dolore, in nome della felicità della ragazza; era un pò come se si sentisse sollevato dal fatto che almeno dopo la sua morte ci sarebbe stato qualcuno che la trattasse bene, meglio di quanto lui abbia fatto in precedenza. Lì non mi rimaneva altro che piangere.
Alla fine lei l’ha scoperto e si è compreso quanto lei lo amasse ancora, e così dal suo “non andare da nessuna parte”, la definizione di “man in love” ha avuto un ultimo significato in questo film. Da questo momento fino alla fine, per A Cheng l’importante era passare quel pò che gli rimaneva nella miglior maniera possibile, così da non pentirsi di nulla. L’unica cosa che poteva fare era renderla felice per un’ultima volta.
Dopodiché la sua anima si è spenta lasciandosi dietro una persona che merita tanto ma forse questo non tutti l’hanno compreso.
Mi ha veramente colpito la scena in cui A Cheng dice al padre di fare da padre a Wu, dopo che il suo era morto e anche lui sarebbe morto, a Wu non sarebbe rimasto veramente nulla, per questo l’unica cosa che potesse mai fare per lei era almeno darle quel padre che aveva perso, in modo che lei fosse più tranquilla.
Inutile dire che “man in love” mi è piaciuto veramente, è una bellissima storia che racconta tanto, mi dispiace sia così triste, i miei occhi ne sono usciti rossi e gonfi, ma posso dire che n’è valsa la pena.

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The film shows us the story of an elderly woman and her autistic son, Chu-san (He's legally named Tadao, yes, but he only goes by Chu-san) and their struggles with their neighbours.

It's never sentimental about it; there's no pathos at all. It just shows the people as the are. It also never tries to explain what people are thinking or feeling, why they act the way they do -- which is especially exceptional for Chu-san. I can imagine that a lesser film would try to explain him to the "normal" people (i.e. the ausidence), either directly or through the mouth of a character.
This film does neither. It shows us how Chu-san lives his life, what is important to him and where he clashes with the world, who shows no sympathy for him at all; with the exception of the son of the neighbour family.

Following the way the story is told -- unsentimental, but with great sympathy -- the acting and editing stays natural and even understated throughout.


If you can watch this film, then I recommend you to do so!

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boom, duar, fantastic!

sorry in advance... i'm just watching it now, actually i've known this film for a long time, and ik people's reviews about this film are good, and it turns out to be very good and very crazy. please... for those of u who want to watch this film, avoid spoilers on the platform whatever, bcz this film will only make u dizzy, i think this film will be boring, but unfortunately NO!!!, i really like the acting of Park Shin Hye and Jeon Jongseo, they are both my top south korean actresses, seeing their acting makes me crazy, to another film from Jeon Jongseo i've watched is "Ballerina" which is very good, i'm sure she is a top actress in the thriller genre, very impressive, here it's not just a thriller, but 'bout emotions that make u confused.

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**A must-watch, I'd say.**

Some movies mess with your head, keep you on the edge of your seat, and blow your mind at the end. "The Call" is one of those movies. The way time travel works in this film is just thrilling. It's fascinating how a simple phone call can change everything. From the start, the setting is tense. There are lots of twists and turns and a great storyline. With each passing moment, you'll want to know more about what will happen next. Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo did a brilliant job as the leads.

**Conclusion:** You should definitely watch this movie. It has suspense, thriller elements, plot twists, and everything you're looking for to give you chills.

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Ok watch

It was ok,I loved.the found family troupe,and they were so damn lucky,they probably had every protagonist's golden finger
The western One's always show Godzilla as a good monster,but japanese one chose to show it as a evil one
The entire concept didn't touch me,what touched me was the hopeful showcase of their life after the war,the whole kamikaze history is terrible,this is what touched me
The CGI of Godzilla was a bit funny,he moved like a robot.Otherwise the other Cgi's were good.
And usually people in these short of movies run for their life, don't stay still and look at Godzilla like it's a pretty scene.I was super angry at the fl when she pushed the ml and didn't jump into the gap with the ml, probably at that moment she became dumb, it's probably for a future series.

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SIMPLE BUT SO BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING!

ngl i really hate open endings movie but ok i will move to talk about the plot. this is a very simple but beautiful and very touching story. this is too sweet and unreal but i really like this. Zhi Liao thought this was one sided love, it turns out that from the start, Gu Bin had paid attention to her since that tree part, they tried to show each other's existence. one wrote it in a letter while the other planted apples. both of them took a selective course from their crush's departement, which made them can't meet each other. beautiful and pure love. oh to be loved with someone like Gu Bin snd the sincere love like Zhiliao.. it was so lovely!

sorry but Wu Nien Hsuan so handsome and sweet ???

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