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Reviews
Japanese Story (2003)
Incomplete characterisations
I was so disappointed with 'Japanese Story'. What is the big deal about Toni Colette's acting her character's distress at the accidental death of her companion? I suspect that people who are so impressed by this either haven't experienced deep sadness & pain, or else are in denial about & afraid of it. And anyhow, why did she behave with such compliance in pandering to the whims of said companion? Just to serve the plot-line of getting stuck in the desert? Just because of the business investment aspect? I had the impression that she was supposed to be a character with a really independent spirit & mind of her own. This was not explained sufficiently & eroded my trust in the film & its director. Also, the cinematography was uninteresting.
The Goddess of 1967 (2000)
Way ahead of 'Japanese Story' in every way.
I loved this movie. It is lovely to look at, especially the way the scenery is filmed (& I don't care who tries to contemptuously dismiss it as 'arty'. I don't want to look at tourist brochure cinematography, a la 'Japanese Story' - I've already been to the outback & seen the scenery). The characters felt real to me (& never acted in ways that were inconsistent with or unexplained in terms of their personality & motives, unlike Toni Colette's character in 'Japanese Story'). If you do not tend to connect with or understand characters who have lived isolated or socially marginalised lives, you may react the way the previous reviewer did (i.e. with annoyed disdain). However, if your life has not followed the mainstream-media 'happy families' narrative, you might, as I did, be able to deeply relate to the main characters, as well as the whole sense & sensibility of this movie.