PG-13 | 147 minutes | 2005 | 9/10
Here is a trailer in English, though I don't think it does a good job of showing the melancholy actually in the movie.
This one does a better job of showing what is really going on, though the quality isn't that great.
I just finished watching this movie and just felt like I absolutely had to review it.
First off, some context. This movie is set in Tokyo and it's about a mother and her four children; (in order from oldest to youngest) Akira, Kyoko, Shigeru, and Yuki. Their ages are between 12 - 5 years old, and you find out that each of them has a different father.. It begins with the mother introducing her new neighbors to her eldest son, Akira, saying that he is just like his father and he does really well in school, etc..
Then, you find out that she has smuggled in three other children. The two younger ones in suitcases and the eldest sister (Kyoko) at the train station.
Soon after moving in to their new apartment, the mother disappears with a man, leaving these four children to fend for themselves.
And this is all based on a true story, one called the "Affair of the Four Abandoned Children of Sugamo". That definitely nags at the back of your head as you watch the movie, though apparently the actually story is far worse than the movie plays it out to be.
I am going to stop there because I don't want to spoil the rest of the movie for you guys, so on with the review!
***
This movie, as I suppose many Japanese movies are, is a very slow one. There are not a lot of words spoken and to figure out most of the story you have to rely on things unspoken throughout the movie, like letters and phone calls.
While I was watching, the movie seemed to just have a very sad overtone (as it should, I suppose), and I just wanted to do all I could to help the children. Of course, I couldn't. It's a movie.
Anyways, I highly recommend this movie for anyone who likes heartfelt, but very very sad movies with calm story lines. It does take a bit of thinking to watch this movie, but it's not too difficult.
Actors: 10/10 The actors who played the children in this movie were amazing. Even for ones so young as 5 years old, they got the emotions across so well. Since this movie did not have a lot of dialogue, it is understandable that the actors had to rely upon their skills in a more physical way - their sighing, laughing, smiling, crying... it was all done very well.
Story: 8/10 I suppose that you can't get a better story than a true one, but that being said, I don't think the movie did a very good job of answering all the questions about it like where are they getting any money from and why is Saki not in school. And for a movie that is 2 hours and 2 minutes long, I felt like they could have included more explanation and less dramatic pause. But that's just me.
Music: 10/10 The music throughout the movie was very subtle and very fitting. For most of the songs, they were merely instrumental and had not words, but I loved the ending song. It really felt sad and yet hopeful and I think it did a good job of catching all the emotions of the scene.
Overall: 9/10 This movie was beautifully done with a touching story and great acting. I recommend this to anyone with a little bit of free-time on their hands who likes stories like these. They really get you thinking.
***
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to look at this review. Mind you, it is my very first one, so it may not be perfect. However, any feedback you give me would be helpful as I try to improve my skills.
Thank you!
Otaku R
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