This is what I would call a typical "safe" Japanese "gay" movie. There are only three kisses between the male protagonists: one "daring" one, stolen while one of the men sleeps, near the beginning and two incredibly chaste ones near the end. The trailer, though, makes us believe that this is a "love story." The problem with this movie, though, is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it about Mitsuomi, an angry young man with daddy issues who is forced to return to his hometown in the countryside after having a run-in with his obnoxious boss in Tokyo, and learning to rethink the value of his father's (carpentry) work? Is it a story about Yamato, a none-too-bright orphan boy (now a young man) taken in by an older man to work on his farm to harvest mikans and strawberries, who ultimately wants to find out who his real parents are?
As the story of these two men collide, there are pretty shots of the countryside, almost picture perfect, while Irish-sounding instrumentals play throughout the entire film. Also, there are endless moments of hysterical anger that burst forth in nanoseconds from Mitsuomi, and he will direct them at anyone at any time of the day or night. He does not have a filter and it's sad and disturbing.
As the story purposely puts the two men together (with several borderline pathetic scenes of Mitsuomi "helping" to pick mikans and strawberries with all the grace of a robot), Mitsuomi starts to fall in love with Yamato (although why he does is completely unclear). When Mitsuomi thinks that Yamato might have a girlfriend, he becomes incredibly sullen and rude and obnoxious.
But then... it's not Yamato's girlfriend -- it's a fellow orphan that he grew up with. Mitsuomi relaxes and secretly hopes there will be a future in his fantasy mind with Yamato... but first he has to make amends with Daddy and tell him that he wants to be like him and follow in his footsteps, and become a woodworker. This epiphany occurs after Mitsuomi and Yamato deliver a beautiful hand-carved chest of drawers to a family. Mitsuomi finally sees the value of his father's blood, sweat and tears, something he was incapable of seeing before. But why it is that he has to now be like the father does not make sense.
This movie must have been made for fans of Yuki Furukawa, who plays Mitsuomi with the typical signs of a closeted Japanese man. Yuki has that kind of face where, if he's directed well, you can sense deep wells of sadness, whole worlds of pain going on behind his eyes. I can see why he is popular. And he can play "closeted" really well. There is a lot of pressure on Japanese men to be straight, and while I momentarily applaud this film for its half-hearted attempt to show a budding gay relationship, I also admonish it for not going as far as it could. This last point is directed specifically to a night where the two men end up (because of circumstances) sharing a double bed in a hotel room.
Instead of them having a truly wonderful, deep loving moment, they end up rehashing the "daring" kiss that Mitsuomi planted on Yamato's pretty lips when he thought Yamato was sleeping. In fact, Yamato was well aware of the kiss. And so, when it becomes somewhat clear that Mitsuomi likes Yamato, Yamato basically freezes and says, "But... I'm a man." Mitsuomi responds, "Yeah, I know." Then... there's a big long pause and Yamato grabs Mitsuomi and hugs him. That's it. Cut to the next day at the municipal office where Yamato tries to find out who his real parents are.
Where is the passion in these people's lives? And why can't we show gay Japanese men being passionate? (I'm not talking about porno scenes; I'm talking about beautiful, sensual, loving scenes.)
This film, as many I've seen in Japan, relies way too much on bursts of hysterical anger, especially from Yuki. I mean, this happens throughout the film. It makes for very uncomfortable viewing, because my question throughout the film is, "Why are you screaming at everyone you meet?"
The director is very safe in his choices, many of which were poorly lit or badly lit or lit so obviously that even though it should have appeared that daylight was streaming through a window, it was obviously just a huge studio light. It had all the earmarks of a Japanese TV movie, or most movies in Japan, which must include a scene in a hospital, emotional crying scenes from the main characters, hard working housewives, and men who are incapable of expressing their feelings.
I see there are a number of 10-star reviews, and I'm glad that people could enjoy this, but really, they only skimmed the surface of the lives of these two men. The story could have been much deeper and moving.
As the story of these two men collide, there are pretty shots of the countryside, almost picture perfect, while Irish-sounding instrumentals play throughout the entire film. Also, there are endless moments of hysterical anger that burst forth in nanoseconds from Mitsuomi, and he will direct them at anyone at any time of the day or night. He does not have a filter and it's sad and disturbing.
As the story purposely puts the two men together (with several borderline pathetic scenes of Mitsuomi "helping" to pick mikans and strawberries with all the grace of a robot), Mitsuomi starts to fall in love with Yamato (although why he does is completely unclear). When Mitsuomi thinks that Yamato might have a girlfriend, he becomes incredibly sullen and rude and obnoxious.
But then... it's not Yamato's girlfriend -- it's a fellow orphan that he grew up with. Mitsuomi relaxes and secretly hopes there will be a future in his fantasy mind with Yamato... but first he has to make amends with Daddy and tell him that he wants to be like him and follow in his footsteps, and become a woodworker. This epiphany occurs after Mitsuomi and Yamato deliver a beautiful hand-carved chest of drawers to a family. Mitsuomi finally sees the value of his father's blood, sweat and tears, something he was incapable of seeing before. But why it is that he has to now be like the father does not make sense.
This movie must have been made for fans of Yuki Furukawa, who plays Mitsuomi with the typical signs of a closeted Japanese man. Yuki has that kind of face where, if he's directed well, you can sense deep wells of sadness, whole worlds of pain going on behind his eyes. I can see why he is popular. And he can play "closeted" really well. There is a lot of pressure on Japanese men to be straight, and while I momentarily applaud this film for its half-hearted attempt to show a budding gay relationship, I also admonish it for not going as far as it could. This last point is directed specifically to a night where the two men end up (because of circumstances) sharing a double bed in a hotel room.
Instead of them having a truly wonderful, deep loving moment, they end up rehashing the "daring" kiss that Mitsuomi planted on Yamato's pretty lips when he thought Yamato was sleeping. In fact, Yamato was well aware of the kiss. And so, when it becomes somewhat clear that Mitsuomi likes Yamato, Yamato basically freezes and says, "But... I'm a man." Mitsuomi responds, "Yeah, I know." Then... there's a big long pause and Yamato grabs Mitsuomi and hugs him. That's it. Cut to the next day at the municipal office where Yamato tries to find out who his real parents are.
Where is the passion in these people's lives? And why can't we show gay Japanese men being passionate? (I'm not talking about porno scenes; I'm talking about beautiful, sensual, loving scenes.)
This film, as many I've seen in Japan, relies way too much on bursts of hysterical anger, especially from Yuki. I mean, this happens throughout the film. It makes for very uncomfortable viewing, because my question throughout the film is, "Why are you screaming at everyone you meet?"
The director is very safe in his choices, many of which were poorly lit or badly lit or lit so obviously that even though it should have appeared that daylight was streaming through a window, it was obviously just a huge studio light. It had all the earmarks of a Japanese TV movie, or most movies in Japan, which must include a scene in a hospital, emotional crying scenes from the main characters, hard working housewives, and men who are incapable of expressing their feelings.
I see there are a number of 10-star reviews, and I'm glad that people could enjoy this, but really, they only skimmed the surface of the lives of these two men. The story could have been much deeper and moving.