I lived in Japan for a number of years and have never seen a film that truly captures gay life in Japan. What is most amazing to Westerners is how similar we are rather than how different. With exception of the language, the movie could easily take place in the U.S. The plot is fairly simple: Two men, one out, one closeted, have a relationship that could possibly be wrecked by a woman who wants to have a child with the closeted man. Their families cause a lot of confusion. Sort of like a relationship in the U.S. The characters are really true to life, and anyone, gay or straight, will instantly recognize the similarities rather than the differences in us all. Well worth you time. A great comedy/drama. Regardless of language. See it....Please
17 Reviews
Sweet, sensitive, warm, lilting, and looooooong!
=G=7 September 2003
"Hush" is a dramedy out of Japan which swirls around a handful of young adults including a couple of gay men and a female who wants to have a baby by one of them. This skillfully crafted flick has warmth and charm and poignancy and heart and humor and....but, damn, it sure is long and bland. About as interesting as tofu, this character-driven film dawdles interminably as the characters pour over their relationships, including families and friends, in minute detail while we non-Japanese English speakers are reading subtitles and trying to keep the male characters straight as they are very similar in appearance. My eyes were bouncing up and down between faces and subtitles like paddle-balls for 2.25 hours. Recommended only for Japanese films buffs into people pictures. (B-)
Quite good; slow paced and descriptive.
bluebear568 November 2004
As i am becoming more interested in foreign films, i am continually amazed at the high quality of some of these films, especially the European ones. I am not a big fan of Asian movies, but this one scores a high on my list.
This isn't a fast film at all, which is great, as it captures the detailed makeup of these characters and their connections with ones another. Some can be too slow, but this had a steady pace giving great depth into their emotions and everyday lives. This is one aspect I like about foreign movies, attention to detail.
I am not overly keen on gay relationships, but this film was still a good watch providing some insight into gay couples and their decisions about families and children.
Overall it was a good movie. Worth watching again.
The acting was great too.
This isn't a fast film at all, which is great, as it captures the detailed makeup of these characters and their connections with ones another. Some can be too slow, but this had a steady pace giving great depth into their emotions and everyday lives. This is one aspect I like about foreign movies, attention to detail.
I am not overly keen on gay relationships, but this film was still a good watch providing some insight into gay couples and their decisions about families and children.
Overall it was a good movie. Worth watching again.
The acting was great too.
It's always the quiet ones...
sibisi7327 April 2002
If you like your movies subtle and sweet, then this should be just the ticket. Although the subject matter isn't too out there in the West, it's interesting to see it broached in the Japanese context, where tradition and respect for family are still held in high esteem. The film deals with familial relationships now, and as such presents a refreshing and forward thinking outlook on the nature of the family unit in the 21st century. Hashiguchi lets us watch these intimate relationships as they build up and, in some cases, break down, without feeling intrusive. There are some wonderful scenes of extended dialogue, the sort of meandering conversations that go nowhere, but that are incredibly involving nonetheless. All the performances are spot on, and there's just the right balance between the humour and the heartache. It's a slow, talky film, but still highly rewarding.
Fails as entertaining cinema
raymond-1513 January 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This comedy drama is about a Japanese girl who meets a couple of gay lovers at a restaurant and they lend her their umbrella to shelter her from the pouring rain. Harmless enough you might say, but then she becomes obsessed with a strange idea. She is not interested in love or romance or marriage or a one night stand. No way. All she wants is a sample of semen from one of the gay guys so that she can make a baby. A baby is her one desire in life and believe it or not her desire is so strong she unashamedly puts her request to them. Just a sample with absolutely no strings attached.
It would seem that we have here an interesting story line that has elements of sex and humour and more than a touch of originality. How wrong we are. After the initial request for what we would consider a very private and personal matter, the film bogs down in sheer boredom. I'm not blaming the actors. They play their roles well. It's just that nothing really happens. There are no dramatic climaxes. Admittedly the characters have some big decisions to make but they seem to get nowhere as the film drifts on.
I think the problem is that the film is too even and becomes too monotonous.
On the whole I find this film rather disappointing. The actors are worthy of better material and perhaps the director could infuse some more excitement into the bland scenes especially for people like me who tend to fall asleep if the interest wanes.
It would seem that we have here an interesting story line that has elements of sex and humour and more than a touch of originality. How wrong we are. After the initial request for what we would consider a very private and personal matter, the film bogs down in sheer boredom. I'm not blaming the actors. They play their roles well. It's just that nothing really happens. There are no dramatic climaxes. Admittedly the characters have some big decisions to make but they seem to get nowhere as the film drifts on.
I think the problem is that the film is too even and becomes too monotonous.
On the whole I find this film rather disappointing. The actors are worthy of better material and perhaps the director could infuse some more excitement into the bland scenes especially for people like me who tend to fall asleep if the interest wanes.
Nuevo Nuclear Family!
net_orders16 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Viewed on DVD. Cinematography/lighting = six (6) stars; subtitles/translations = five (5) stars; DVD video format = two (2) stars. Director Ryosuke Hashiguchi's radical upending of the typical Shoahimin Eiga (home drama) movie genre is refreshing and hilarious as his satire (Hashiguchi wrote the scenario) goes after just about all the stale components of standard Shoahimin Eiga (especially those repeatedly exploited by so-called "classical" Japanese movie makers in the past). Hashiguchi's film is also touching as he explores the many road blocks encountered in contemporary society by a lonely gay couple wishing to start a family (child adoption is not an option). Added to the mix is a female protagonist who for medical (related to multiple abortions) and psychological (plain loneliness) reasons is seeking to start a family with a man who "looks like a father." In a chance encounter, she feels that one of the gays has this look! The director is highlighting the partially hidden ongoing cultural clash between heretofore standard family formation, structure, and values (at least as conjured up in movies) and the reality of modern times: one gay's mother is pushing hard for a traditional marriage process and family structure; the other gay's older brother (but not his wife) seems open to new types of family structures (at least on the surface); and then there is the emerging two-dads-one-mom family model depicted in this photo play. Hashiguchi penchant for long, single takes (a good five minutes or so in duration without a cut) channels Hitchcock's usual methodology. But unlike Hitchcock, Hashiguchi's long scenes often end up becoming tedious and ultimately boring. Acting is okay. Subtitles can not be turned off, and tend to be a bit long given their rapid flash rates. Not all dialog is translated. The video formatting used for this DVD seems to be targeting old-style "square" TV screens. It looks pretty bizarre on modern monitors. Rather than expanding the image to full video screen size (at least horizontally), thick black bars surround a miniaturized version of a semi-wide screen. The black borders take up about 50 percent of the video screen's real estate! (Just sit closer!) Concluding scenes seem to be lining things up for a sequel which has yet to emerge. Recommended. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.
nice warm and a funny film
mattwakeman30 November 2001
Although this is a film about a subject which has been covered before (gay couple and then along comes a woman who decides that she would like to have a child by one of them and the fall-outs and tensions that are created by this) it is a really nice and i found genuinely affecting film.
The film also strays into the territory of the changing social circumstances of modern Japan as well as the, nicely handled, scenes where you are shown more about the family relationships that exist in the present day.
Nice performances and a nice soothing sound track (with just a little Japanese twist). Maybe the best recommendation that i can give this film is that i nearly broke my ankle playing football before i went to see it and i had to walk back home in the pouring rain...and i did so with a big smile on my face thanks to this film.
The film also strays into the territory of the changing social circumstances of modern Japan as well as the, nicely handled, scenes where you are shown more about the family relationships that exist in the present day.
Nice performances and a nice soothing sound track (with just a little Japanese twist). Maybe the best recommendation that i can give this film is that i nearly broke my ankle playing football before i went to see it and i had to walk back home in the pouring rain...and i did so with a big smile on my face thanks to this film.
Nice and warm
kyyuen19 May 2002
If a movie reflects good human nature and characteristics, why do we need to refuse it and not accept it even it involves gay relationship.
The director really depicts each character as a real person - you trust their existence.
And you will bring a warm smile when going out of the theater.
The director really depicts each character as a real person - you trust their existence.
And you will bring a warm smile when going out of the theater.
Huh!
cherold23 July 2004
There's something off about this movie. I kept wondering if perhaps it was just badly translated. It wasn't that I didn't know what was going on from one moment to the next, but there seemed to be many strange sudden transitions and characters would suddenly seem to be familiar with one another when I'd had the impression they'd never met before. It gave the narrative a jerky, confused feel.
I only made it through about a third of this before I got bored and gave up. It wasn't awful, but it was never absorbing, I wasn't feeling remotely connected to the characters and there just didn't seem to really be much going on, although at the time it stopped it looked like the movie was just deciding it might need to have some sort of plot after all. But that was too little too late.
I only made it through about a third of this before I got bored and gave up. It wasn't awful, but it was never absorbing, I wasn't feeling remotely connected to the characters and there just didn't seem to really be much going on, although at the time it stopped it looked like the movie was just deciding it might need to have some sort of plot after all. But that was too little too late.
Liked it a lot
richsung27 September 2001
I saw Grains of Sand a number of years ago, so I decided to see this one at the Toronto International Film Fest this year. For me, it was the best movie I saw this year. The characters were great - all of them felt real to me. The humour in this movie is great. Not much more to say except go see it!
the usual for this story
bfred7 January 2008
Editing is an art. This flic needs an editor with better qualifications. the story line jumps like a frog and you are expected to pick up the gaps. both gay boys are really cute and have considerable talent in the construction of their posteriors. this is an eye candy movie for the rice set. the fa* hag is just as she always is filmed, neurotic, lonely and by one vile q**een UGLY.
The straight family is all the standards: Jewish mother, accepting niece, angry, loveless marriage woman.
What recommends it is if you want to view the daily life of 2001 Nippons.
The straight family is all the standards: Jewish mother, accepting niece, angry, loveless marriage woman.
What recommends it is if you want to view the daily life of 2001 Nippons.
Loving Caring Relationships -- even in Japan
paul-927-71331219 December 2010
I've watched this movie several times but last night I watched it again and I just have to say something about it. This is not your normal gay movie with a lot of gratuitous sex scenes, nor is this a gay movie about AIDS, nor does the plot have anything to do with someone being sick. This is a story about how two fine looking young Japanese men meet up, have a relationship and start a life together. The families of these two men are screwed up, like too many are in life, but these two keep on going. Then just to make it even more interesting, two women come into the middle of these two men's lives. One becomes like a third partner (she wants a baby from them) and the other has a typical young girl infatuation. What really caught my attention was how both these guys do things together at home and outside the home. They care about each other, know each other, and do spontaneous things together. I think we could all learn about relationships from watching these two guys interact together. Love the story.
For Japanese commonplace spectators
msagawa-112 August 2007
This is one of my favorite films, even not the best. Each time I see this film, I cannot but wonder why this film, in spite of its central theme, homosexuality, gives me the impression that it's quite an ordinary film, and that homosexuality is just one of everyday matters. In other words, this film is not a special extraordinary work under cover. This is why it is full of humors, which let both straight and gay viewers smile, maybe, in a same way. This film is just the third work of the director, Ryosuke Hashiguchi, who continues to shoot marvelous films, which, certainly, have something to do with homosexuality quite casually, and most importantly, quite naturally. I am looking forward to his next film, whose theme is homosexuality or heterosexuality.
Comfort film for repeat viewing
billy_bang17 April 2016
This is Hashiguchi's 3rd feature. Gone are the rough edges of his first (SLIGHT FEVER IN 20-YR OLD), gone too the larger ensemble complexities of his second (LIKE GRAINS OF SAND). This, although featuring a slightly awkward introduction of the 3 protagonists at the start, is smoother and more commercial in feel. The sort of thing Hollywood would buy the rights to for a bland adaptation with major 'stars'. Not sure if Hashiguchi felt the need to broaden his appeal this time around. As other reviews have mentioned, it centres on a gay relationship between two men from their first meeting (they casually run into each other outside a gay pub) to starting to live together, when unexpectedly a lonely woman barges in with the startling proposition to one of the men (Katsuhiro) to father a child with her, because she likes him and thought he had a 'father's eyes'. Side strands of each of their familial relationships are woven in. The one involving the closeted gay character Katsushiro's visit to his family home to visit his brother is as masterful as anything by Ozu. There are a couple of melodramatic plots as well (one involving a female co-worker of Katsushiro's who develops a Fatal Attraction like infatuation with him). Katshushiro, played by Seiche Tanabe, is tall, handsome and has an inner quietude, and you can understand why all all these people want to throw themselves at him, including his lover Nagoya (played by Kazua Takahashi). Reiko Karaoke plays Asako the woman who wants a child. Her performance is the most compelling in a way- showing a complex, mixed up confused woman with a good heart behind her gruff exterior. The scenes of the three of them together (especially a montage in the latter half of the film) are marvellous! This film is 2 hours long but is filled with incidents made up of everyday life, it never drags. I have now watched it a couple of times, and can say it is a film I can easily revisit with pleasure!
Terrible!
martimusross27 February 2024
Hush
Another glacially slow Japanese movie that tried to character build using, I "like this", "I don't like this", bizarre contrivances and aberrant behaviour. This superficial idea stems from the idea that whilst something looks ordered and perfect on the surface it is all rotten underneath, this is a Japanese preoccupation and we see similar with Nordic Noir!
About half way through the movie following a restaurant meeting the movie really picked up, with an injection of humour and imagination, I thought for a minute it had some potential, how wrong could I be.
It then nosedived to the end, two scenes were beyond absurd and totally ruined it. The confrontation scene and the meeting in the park. Without ruining the plot, if you intend to watch this tripe, it is, and never can be a marriage proposal working with someone and saying you understand them, this is ridiculous!
Overall, the plot was absurd, the acting pedestrian and the characters were shallow for me this is a 3 outta 10, irredeemable rubbish. The 3 points are for the two central male actors who really tried hard.
Another glacially slow Japanese movie that tried to character build using, I "like this", "I don't like this", bizarre contrivances and aberrant behaviour. This superficial idea stems from the idea that whilst something looks ordered and perfect on the surface it is all rotten underneath, this is a Japanese preoccupation and we see similar with Nordic Noir!
About half way through the movie following a restaurant meeting the movie really picked up, with an injection of humour and imagination, I thought for a minute it had some potential, how wrong could I be.
It then nosedived to the end, two scenes were beyond absurd and totally ruined it. The confrontation scene and the meeting in the park. Without ruining the plot, if you intend to watch this tripe, it is, and never can be a marriage proposal working with someone and saying you understand them, this is ridiculous!
Overall, the plot was absurd, the acting pedestrian and the characters were shallow for me this is a 3 outta 10, irredeemable rubbish. The 3 points are for the two central male actors who really tried hard.
Adorable, but also raw at times
citronellaa7 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen this film a few times. THere are some really sweet scenes between the two main characters, and showing how they know each other well. After I saw it the first time I was surprised when I realised how little physical intimacy there was throughout, but there is intimacy in smaller ways - such as sharing the umbrella, the ice cream part, the walking with the bicycle and the rice ball with the background music.
Yes, this is one of the more innocent films by this director, yet still having some horrible/crappy parts, as is his fashion - such as the lady who is stalked, and the guy who leaves at the beginning.
Given the subject matter - homosexual and surrogacy - I also think it was quite cutting edge for it's time, and shows Japan's willingness to embrace social change, whilst still outlining the attitudes of the older generations.
Yes, this is one of the more innocent films by this director, yet still having some horrible/crappy parts, as is his fashion - such as the lady who is stalked, and the guy who leaves at the beginning.
Given the subject matter - homosexual and surrogacy - I also think it was quite cutting edge for it's time, and shows Japan's willingness to embrace social change, whilst still outlining the attitudes of the older generations.
Japanese film lacks focus
Lwindreich-125 July 2004
The young people are charming, and the idea of mutual support is often touching. But the film lacks focus and rambles endlessly. It should have been more tightly edited for continuity. Also, the pace is terribly slow, and the cinematography is often static. The scene in which the parents of the two boys confront the young woman often seems like a still photograph,with the young people standing motionless in the background. I thought it would never end.
It's hard to decide if the film is a comedy or a drama. The young woman who wants a baby is so terribly distraught. I wondered if those two gentle boys weren't taking on a real nut-case in order to help her.
It's hard to decide if the film is a comedy or a drama. The young woman who wants a baby is so terribly distraught. I wondered if those two gentle boys weren't taking on a real nut-case in order to help her.
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