The Fish with One Sleeve (2021)

A short worth watching...

I watched this on a whim. Not knowing the subject and diving head first is alas a first for me. Sometimes we encounter breathtaking gems when we least expect to and this short Japanese film is a shining example.

Summary:
A story of a trans woman gently but firmly taking the first step towards her past. The movie is based on a poem from Fujiki Yumi and stars a trans actress in the lead role for the first time. I think it is somewhat of a rarity to have a movie based on this subject matter and having transgender people voice their side in their own stories must surely be a rarity, in not only Japan but throughout Asia.

Story:
I appreciated the paucity of dialogue here. While its a common attribute for most Japanese films, this form of filmmaking really lends to the sensitive subject matter.

Acting:
Identifying with a particular gender, there are so many things that we take for granted and at times I had to pause and think, to realize her pain and discomfort. I can understand her struggle when the client asks ‘are you a man cause your hands are big?’ There's a pause as the camera pans to her and she replies. Good acting!

Overall:
In real life, one doesn’t really stare that hard at people. At the same time, there can be curiosity among a lot of people from the older generations. While some times it’s really just harmless curiosity, specially if it’s not common in your country, the cluelessness of people can be hurtful as well. And I think that is what this short tries to tell us.

Good for watching once but you need to concentrate to appreciate the nuances in the filmmaking. 7.5/10 for me.

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this was bitter sweet - really really wish there was more, cause this was Really good. 1st off the actress playing Hikari is just beautiful - not in the conventional way, cause her looks r totally androgynous, from head to toe and that's what makes her unique - the more i looked at her, the beautifuller she became. heck felt i could look at her for hrs. she did a great job (looks aside).

from the start, the tactlessness of people was disturbing, considering how aware we all r of the different/diverse people existing on this planet. and the fact that, cause someone is not a carbon-copy of u, doesn't make them "less" or abnormal. so an innocent trivial request to use the restroom, shouldn't make people uneasy and yet it does. always reminding her that she isn't seen as "normal". and as this is the start, the tone is set and thus i goes from one moronic encounter to the next. where curiosity get's the better of a customer asking if she really is a man "...cause she got big hands." (like seriously). but Hikari keeps rising above. so little wonder the only place she really is comfortable in her own skin, is around other trans women and "their" pub.

as the plot is Hikari reuniting with old classmate Takashi an unrequited love from high school. business takes her to her hometown and as she feels ready to face him and "come out". she decides to agree to a meet-up, ironically the one to get the surprise is Hikari. as Takashi might have made the date, but the moron invites the whole class and u can only guess at how tactless that group of moron's was (considering it was an all boy's school). and again Hikari sufferers in silence, the tactless jokes and rude remarks, always smiling and ignoring - rising above...

so i needed a 'happily ever after' for Hikari. but i guess her walking tall, not letting small minded moron's get to her, is a positive end - loved this (yet need more) for sure a rewatch.

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I really loved this short movie ... it is a wonderful heart warming and life affirming story of Kagayaki / Hikari, that is skillfully and artfully told. It is a hard gig trying to find your place in what is often a very opinionated, cut throat world of conformity ... not everyone has the courage to embrace who they are and live their life with courage ... so applaud and support those who do, be kind to those who are not able to yet.

I loved that Ishizuka Yu played the lead for this movie. She is a transgender model and this was her movie debut. Very well done indeed.

I also loved the use of imagery and sound to convey the complexity of Kagayaki / Hikari's journey ... it was really artfully done and loaded with unspoken intensity and meaning:

- the incessant noisy and nasty world of social 'compliance' and how you just want to stop having to listen to the same shit over and over, like diving beneath the water where all those sounds become muted and all you can hear are the real sounds of real life ... your heart beating and your lungs breathing out the bubbles of your breath that float up to the surface.

- that dark silent alone place in your heart and mind where there is nothing but you, you facing who you are, you making a decision ... to be ... or not to be.

- that moment of acceptance ... to be ... where from that place of stillness you say FU and throw that soccer ball back at the naysayers.

- then moving from the dark into the light ... walking forward and shining from within ... you look back on your past and smile and then move forward radiant and confident.

The names of the main character are meaningful to the story. I am not sure what the kanji are that make up these particular names but, just based on the hiragana, Kagayaki (male name) generally means to shine, glow, sparkle, brilliance, glitter, radiance. Hirkari (female name) generally means to shine or to gleam. Male or female ... this person had their own kind of brilliance, own kind of radiance that was meant to shine and gleam out to the rest of the world, not to be hidden in a dark silent world overlayed by the incessant noise of bigoted social judgement.

A truly beautiful and profound little movie, beautifully brought to screen and well worth the watch and rewatch as we all have to face the truth of ourselves as some point ... with grace and dignity is my hope.

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