The "hype" or what ever you want to call it, that surrounds this film was completely lost on me. I knew literally nothing about it apart from it had a shocking part. So I mostly ignored this information and just watched the film.
I thought the beginning was great. It moved, it built character and it set up themes from the get go.
The middle for me does sag a tiny bit but only because the gears sort of switch to a full blown romance but then the suspense starts to creep back into the movie. It begins to recapture the attention of the audience.
Then there is the end. This was the part I took a small issue with. The dream sequence? It felt like sort of a dump of information. As if they had a lot to explain and they just threw it all in that one part to try and catch the audience up a little bit. I think that part could be slightly refined. But the actual ending. Wow it is so uncomfortable and brutal. But not just the violence. The reasons behind the violence.
My take away from this film is it wants to look at the gender dynamics and gender roles of Japan. From the start where the men are actually "Auditioning" people for them to date. Like think about how gross that is. It is power that they think they have because they are men. They get the pick of the crop. They will only choose the best.
Then obviously the story of the lead woman is tragic and I feel once again leads to this power struggle between genders, the men in her life take and take and take from her. They cause her pain because they can. To them she is below them.
That is just my take. Maybe it has nothing to do with that hahaha. I just think it's an interesting way to view this movie and also gives it more merit than being "that movie that has the shocking scenes"
I thought the beginning was great. It moved, it built character and it set up themes from the get go.
The middle for me does sag a tiny bit but only because the gears sort of switch to a full blown romance but then the suspense starts to creep back into the movie. It begins to recapture the attention of the audience.
Then there is the end. This was the part I took a small issue with. The dream sequence? It felt like sort of a dump of information. As if they had a lot to explain and they just threw it all in that one part to try and catch the audience up a little bit. I think that part could be slightly refined. But the actual ending. Wow it is so uncomfortable and brutal. But not just the violence. The reasons behind the violence.
My take away from this film is it wants to look at the gender dynamics and gender roles of Japan. From the start where the men are actually "Auditioning" people for them to date. Like think about how gross that is. It is power that they think they have because they are men. They get the pick of the crop. They will only choose the best.
Then obviously the story of the lead woman is tragic and I feel once again leads to this power struggle between genders, the men in her life take and take and take from her. They cause her pain because they can. To them she is below them.
That is just my take. Maybe it has nothing to do with that hahaha. I just think it's an interesting way to view this movie and also gives it more merit than being "that movie that has the shocking scenes"