Rodan is the third movie in the family of Godzilla movies and the first to be filmed in color. I admit to being hesitant about watching a stand alone movie for this particular Kaiju. He'd never impressed me in the movies I've seen him co-starring in. Fortunately, my fears were unfounded. I found Rodan to be quite entertaining.

The movie starts with miners being violently killed in a dark, flooded cave. It is creepy and claustrophobic. Up out of the ground come giant killer dragonfly larvae. Much of the first part of the film is people hunting them down and attempting to kill them. Little did they know that what eats the giant insects was going to be more problematic-like letting a tiger in the back door to chase the wolves away at the front door.

Rodan was much more impressive in this movie than subsequent ones. He was huge, mobile, and destructive. Yes, you can see the wires at times if you look closely, but this old movie did quite a bit with the special effects and budget they had available to them. The miniatures were exquisite. Honda Ishiro and Ifukube Akira did a good job of bringing a giant flying dinosaur to life and making us care about him when by all rights we shouldn't.

Many times the human aspect of these movies fails. This time there was a sense of urgency and pathos from the beginning to the end. It also helped that this movie came before subsequent campy monster romps. As with Godzilla, by the end of the movie, even the human characters begin to feel sympathy for the great beasts.

Though around 65 years old I thought Rodan held up pretty well. He's now in my top three early Toho movies.

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A slow, slice of life story revolving around an estranged husband's and father's funeral. The funeral brings up old grievances and guilt. The mother must not only come to terms with her unfinished emotions for the man who left her but also deal with her three daughters' sense of loss and pain. Throw in a mistress, illness, divorces, family secrets, resentments, and Karaoke cab and there is enough to fill a drama much less a two hour movie.

For me there were too many characters and too many conflicts to fully connect with many of the characters. I enjoyed it but I didn't love it and likely would not visit this group of dysfunctional people again. Bittersweet and heart-warming at the same time, Big Little Women at least gave us a largely female cast and shined a light on the complicated female relationships and strengths within a family.

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This is my first Filipino movie and I really enjoyed it. It's the story of a family that drifted apart after the mother died years ago.

The story begins with the father of four grown children spending his birthday alone because his children are too focused on their own lives and problems to visit. On the day of his unattended party his receives news that he has cancer and only 7 weeks to live. He sends a text to his children to inform them of the news.

The eldest son took over the family store and is on the verge of bankruptcy. The second son became wealthy and successful but believes his family only likes him for his money. The daughter has three children with a philandering husband. The youngest child felt abandoned after the mother died and his siblings moved away and is now in legal trouble.

The children decide to come together on a Sunday and throw him a surprise birthday party, but old wounds flare up and arguments explode. After learning of their father's distress over their squabbles, the children agree to get along for his sake and to meet every Sunday at his house. Each Sunday the family comes together on various adventures and learn about each other in the process.

There are ups and downs in the story as wounds and secrets are revealed and healed.

I don't want to spoil the secrets, but I will say that this is not a downer or tragedy. This movie is the definition of heart-warming.

I can recommend this movie with a happy heart.

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I just finished this emotional T-drama about two young people shaped by tragedy and whether it was possible for them to overcome their tragic pasts.

Story:
In this story two kids faced whatever life threw at them and most of the time it was boulders-mental illness, sexual assault, physical assault, PTSD, suicide, parental neglect, and evil outside forces. Somehow these two broken people found in each other the love and support they needed.

Both the ML and FL had to face their own individual traumas by peeling back the layers of lies and pain to heal and grow. And they had to do this while dealing with ongoing stressors and danger.

They fought for the right to walk hand-in-hand through the healing to the fulfillment of their dreams and no one was going to make it easy on them. Danger and disaster waited around every corner. Internal and external conflicts filled nearly the entire 21 episodes with little breathing room. It was a hard drama to let go of for something like sleep. It wasn’t a perfect story but it was compelling.

If you are triggered by any of the traumas listed above I would recommend not watching MARS. I don’t know that I would label this a dark drama but it does deal with very dark issues.

Acting:
I almost didn’t watch MARS because of Vic Chou. I’d only seen him in The Flame’s Daughter and was completely underwhelmed. I liked him in this drama. Maybe it was because he was rocking the David Cassidy/Uncle Jessie hairdo, but more likely it was the relaxed, natural performance he gave.

Barbie Hsu had the more difficult job of portraying a young woman in so much pain she walked and sat in self-protective postures. As the character grew and healed she portrayed believable fear and outrage. She did an amazing job.

OST:
I enjoyed it, didn’t love it.

On a somewhat related note-the production values were surprisingly high. Too often T-dramas look and sound like someone filmed them on a cell phone. I was pleasantly surprised, especially for an older drama.

Rewatch value:
I will likely go back to MARS for another visit.

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Flawed but emotionally engaging drama

The Kidnapping Day is one of those dramas where the main relationship was greater than the sum of its parts but not quite enough to overcome their shortcomings. And that math makes about as much sense as some of the plot holes in this drama about a loving father figure kidnapper and substitute daughter kidnappee.

The strength of this drama was the relationship between Myung Joon and Ro Hee. The actors had great chemistry as the bumbling, good-hearted, desperate dad and genius 11-year-old who had never had the chance to form loving human attachments or simply play like the child she was. Once you left their nucleus, the characters and story began to break down with parts becoming repetitive and others lacking in logic. The plot trotted out the well-trod issues of police incompetence (with the exception of the lead detective) along with the requisite corruption issues although they waffled back and forth on the corruption. While I know women make up a small percentage of police officers in Korea it would have been nice to see one of the minor characters be a female officer in this overwhelmingly masculine drama. The bad guy pecking order and allegiances also shifted with similar incompetence issues. The overly dramatic villain left no furniture without his teeth marks as he chewed through the scenery. Class distinctions as they often do played a role in the story. And how far are people willing to go and who has to suffer for the good of all mankind or at least for those who have enough money? The role on which most of the drama ended up hinging was all over the place with motivations and reactions that often made little sense and the final confrontation missed the mark for me.

Despite its narrative flaws, I enjoyed this drama. Yoon Kye Sang gave a captivating performance as the father who would do anything to save his hospitalized biological daughter and the stranger in his care. His fists made up for what he lacked in strategical thinking, leaving the scheming up to the brilliant girl in his charge. Yuna demonstrated why Korea has the best child actors from any country. She portrayed not only the coldly, methodical experiment her character had been trained to be, but also the vulnerable child that needed an adult to protect her. Moments of the two playing, perhaps for the first time in her life, squealing in delight and getting her designer clothes dirty were heartwarming.

The Kidnapping Day may have had plot holes big enough to swallow The White Truck of Doom, but Myung’s devotion to the two little girls who depended on him covered those pitfalls enough to provide for an emotionally compelling drama. Roo Hee’s intellectual dominance might even leave you questioning who had really been kidnapped in this relationship.

10/31/23

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"What is the meaning of those days?"

The Days focused on the immediate aftermath of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami and their catastrophic effects on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The events were shown from the side of the workers and their heroic efforts and the political side which was hindered by personal stakes, ineptness, and evasion of responsibility. The performances were engaging and nuanced and by far the strength of this drama based on the tragic real-world calamity.

"Mistake or destiny?"

When the earthquake and tsunami devastated the electrical grid, the power plant was left without electricity relying on back-up generators to keep the safety measures going. Never dreaming that a tsunami would reach the heights it did, the generators were ruined by seawater. Men in the control room were in the dark both literally and in relation to what was going on in the deadly monsters they were in charge of. Maejima was assisted by veterans Furuya and Osugi as well as younger operators who sought to do what they could only aided by flashlights.

"Forlorn hope"

Manager Yoshida Masao set up headquarters in the Seismic Safe Room to assess the damage and brainstorm responses to the critical issues. Hampered by a loss of almost all communication after the tsunami and largely cut off from the rest of the world the plant operators had to use what they had to try and determine the status of the four units. They resorted to using car batteries to attempt to open vital valves. Things went from bad to worse with aftershocks and hydrogen explosions. Yoshida sought to protect his workers as best he could even while knowing they risked their lives as they attempted to gain information by traveling into the belly of the radioactive beasts and for the workers who fought to remove radioactive debris to bring the fire trucks and the hoses needed to supply water to cool and de-pressure the escalating situations. Eventually, he made the hard decision of who would stay as he ordered the evacuation of most of the workers, knowing that those who remained might die if the worst happened.

"Our company has lost its mind."

On the political side of things, Prime Minister Yan was not advised by nuclear power experts but often those who seemed to be political appointees-who needs an economist during a nuclear disaster? The management at TEPCO was completely unprepared for such a disaster and the manuals gave no guidelines. Both the political and business advisors seemed to be more concerned about giving unpleasant news or being held accountable. They also worried about looking bad to the public and never mentioned the nuclear meltdowns by name. Their ineffectual echo chamber could have led to even more devastation if Yoshida had listened to them. Yan at one point belittled the heroes' efforts. While the people safe from harm worried about plausible deniability, they failed to supply the plucky workers with the basic supplies they needed.

"We don't have a guide, we're in it to the end."

Yakusho Koji gave a powerful performance as Yoshida. Without histrionics he conveyed the calmness and strength of the man in charge of saving the nation with his decisions. Yakusho expressed grief, horror, resoluteness, and exasperation with his face and body movements and provided a stalwart character for the others to trust in and lean on. He showed Yoshida's defiance with deftness and even humor. It has been a long time since I have been so engaged by an actor's performance. Takenouchi Yutaka, Kobayashi Kaoru, and Musaka Naomasa played the operator warriors in the dark control room who braved the dangers so close to the deadly radiation. Though their faces were often covered by protective equipment and respirators the veteran actors' performance came through. These men portrayed, like Yoshida, knew their chances of surviving were slim to none and yet they did whatever was necessary for the greater good.

"I can no longer leave here alive."

The drama displayed the events and actions almost hour by gripping hour. I was always shocked by how much the operators had accomplished when the time clock was shown. Yoshida came across as the hero of this story and the faithful men who risked their lives to cool down and calm the radioactive beast that had the power to leave a third of Japan uninhabitable for decades. The actors who played the fearless Daiichi workers gave understated and formidable performances that were compelling and emotional. The Days was a cautionary tale of human hubris in the face of nature and yet how there are still heroes among us. It is a drama well worth the time for viewing.

9/7/23

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It's not very often a martial arts movie comes out with strong fight scenes and even stronger acting. Brotherhood of the Blades boasted a quietly competent cast who elevated this movie above standard wuxia fare.

Three Imperial Assassins and sworn brothers, though skilled with their swords had to face down death and deception from various factions. The always troublesome eunuch (this time after he was deposed) who shows up in numerous martial arts movies, once again instigated double-crossing schemes, this time imperiling the three loyal assassins.

Chang Chen led the three sworn brothers. His character, Shen Lian, though loyal to his brothers and emperor, was morally ambiguous. Willing to do whatever the situation called for, he set into motion a sword that would hang over all three of the assassins' heads.

The three hearty friends all harbored a need for money. Shen Lian wished to free a courtesan but lacked the power and money to do so. Wang Qian Yuan, as Lu Jian Xing, longed for promotion, only lacking the amount of money needed for bribing officials. Li Dong Xue as Jin Yi Chuan, the third assassin and the youngest, loved a doctor's daughter and had secrets of his own. The eunuch's waning power and wealth still proved perilous and tempting. The loyal allies had no safe quarter with the emperor and his officials. Blades aimed at them from nearly every quarter, even longtime allies proved treacherous.

The fight choreography was quite good, less reliant on wires and Olympic level gymnastics. The fights were fast, brutal, and bloody. They stretched reality in a few scenes, but so do most action movies. If I have one quibble, it's that the action scenes went on too long and were overused. As the story felt thin, perhaps it distracted from the lack of a more complex plot and character development.

The cinematography though dark and dreary fit the mood of the film. Often monochromatic, the shots worked perfectly for the bloody fight scenes. The costumes and sets were well done, befitting the time period. Brotherhood of Blades was stunning to watch without being overdone.

Chang Chen gave a mesmerizing performance, filling in gaps the script lacked. The supporting actors were all strong even though many of their characters were thinly drawn.

Brotherhood of the Blades battered away at the characters through intrigue and loss. Dark and intense, this film balanced its three main characters on the edge of a knife in the midst of hungry wolves. And set this viewer on the edge of her seat wondering who, if any, of the Brotherhood would survive.

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I liked this sweet little drama. I found myself smiling through a majority of the episodes. The romance worked for me. The ML was fairly established in his career so there was none of the usual hand wringing about the older FL stifling his dreams and potential. The conflict was largely familial. They both learned from each other and both made mistakes. My only caveat was that if felt like the writer had problems with the last couple of episodes disrupting the flow of the storyline.

Also, I liked that the FL didn’t recoil from the ML’s kisses as if he was going to give her a root canal. They had a healthy tactile relationship. One of the few Kdramas I’ve seen where the couple was in a believable intimate relationship.

I found the acting solid all the way around.

Regarding the OST: I dinged it for the overuse of Stand By Your Man. They could have cut the use of that song by 80%. Bonus points though for Rachael Yamagata’s Something in the Rain. Already downloaded it.

I will rewatch all or at least parts of it when I’m having a bad day and need a smile and a warm feeling in my heart. I definitely recommend giving this drama a try.

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Even if you start at a disadvantage, you can still be first across the finish line

Zero to Hero is an inspiring biopic about twelve-time Paralympic medalist So Wa Wai. So was the first para-athlete from Hong Kong to win gold and still holds the record in the 200m sprint. Zero to Hero is a feel good movie that also doesn't shy away from it's characters' faults and harsh reality.

So Wa Wai was born with haemolytic jaundice which resulted in cerebral palsy. His mother was told he would never walk or be able to hold chopsticks. And he would only be able to hear 10-20%. She carried him on her back, literally, until he was four. In a desperate life or death moment, the mother challenged him to walk. As he gained more ability, they learned he may not walk well, but he could run.

As a teenager he joined the para-athlete's association and trained to run in competitions. The way to his success did not always run smoothly. His family was poor and used desperately needed funds to help him achieve his success. The movie highlighted how difficult it was for Paralympic athletes to continue training and competing with few subsidies from the government.

The true heart of this movie was the mother-son relationship. Sandra Ng gave a beautiful performance as the resolute mother who refused to give up on her child and sacrificed greatly to ensure he became all he could be and that he would have a financially secure future after she was gone. This created conflict with Wa Wai as he worried she was using him at one point and with his younger brother who felt at times that his only role was to be Wa Wai's future caretaker. Though perhaps flawed, the strength of this mother's love and determination to gain the best for her son and for him to overcome his limitations shined through. "Run to me at the finish line."

Leung Chung Hang's performance never felt patronizing. He poignantly portrayed a child dependent on his mother who grew into a man with his own goals and need to help his family. Yet in the end, it was the love for his dedicated mother that gave him the strength to attain those goals.

Heartwarming and inspirational with enough realistic edge to keep it from being treacly, Zero to Hero is a winner.

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Neomu masisseoyo!

Jinny’s Kitchen S2 added a new cast member and took the show to scenic Iceland. With cold winds whipping across Reykjavik, the team served up nourishing hot soups to warm their customers.

Lee Seo Jin-“Boss Dimples”, Yung Yu Mi-“Queen of Serenity”, Park Seo Joon “Ace Pitcher”, Choi Woo Shik-“Class Clown”, Go Min Si-“Rookie MVP”, and Relief Dishwasher-“Mr. Beanie” manned the dining room and kitchen doing their very best to give Iceland delicious Korean dishes. Unlike Mexico where the crew served up very simple dishes, the cast took cooking lessons to be able to prepare the more complicated soups which required more prep work as well. Also, unlike Mexico, where Woo Shik had to try and drum up customers on the boardwalk, the line wrapped around the block on the first day much to the cast’s surprise!

Once again, the cast showed off their cooking skills, this time under greater pressure with a continually full dining room. My absolute favorite was Go Min Si. She was quite impressive as a prep chef, Dolsot Bibimbap preparer, dishwasher, and pretty much anything else the head chef of the day needed. She never complained and simply stepped up and did whatever needed to be done no matter how tired she was. Yu Mi was the epitome of calm and organized as usual. Seo Joon managed 6 or more burners with his intense organizational skills. Woo Shik had his day as head chef dancing and joking but also taking the food seriously. He and Seo Jin also took care of the customers in an orderly fashion.

There was a wide variety of customers, both Icelandic and tourists. For the most part English was the communal language for customers and cast. On the first day an Indian American showed up. While familiar with some of the cast, she’d been in Iceland for 48 hours and hadn’t had any rice and was looking forward to the meal. A Korean American customer had lived in Iceland for 4 years and as he ate said he felt most Korean when eating Korean food. People from all over the world settled in and enjoyed the different dishes and drinks. Most assuredly, the popularity of season 1 on Prime brought people to the restaurant eager to be on television, but most weren’t too overt about it. The show didn’t share how much the dishes were this time which I was quite curious about. The only bill I saw revealed was for two women which came to 20,000 Kronur/144 USD which seemed a bit pricey.

While this year was more hectic than last year, I thought it had its own charm. The pop-ups and music made for a lively kitchen scene. Min Si was a great addition as she learned quickly and made the head chef’s job easier. Of course, each of the cast members played to their own strengths and kept things positive with humor and camaraderie. Jinny’s Kitchen is a hidden gem no longer and wherever they might go for S3 they can expect their global audience to show up.

Some of the menu items to tempt you:
Beef Galbijjim
Dolsot Bibimbap
Dakgalbi
Sundubu Jjigae
Ttukbaegi Bulgogi

7 September 2024

*Neomu masisseoyo-So delicious! (according to the subtitles)

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"If you search, fate grows. If you give up, fate dies"

In 2015 it was estimated 20,000 children in China had been stolen and trafficked just for that year. Some were sold for adoption, others for forced labor or prostitution. Lost and Love told the story based on a real-life father who had spent 15 years chasing down leads and searching for his child all over China. Andy Lau gave one of his best performances as the determined father who would never stop in his quest to be reunited with his son.

Lei Ze Kuan rides his motorcycle with flags displaying missing children’s faces as he chases down leads on his missing son. After a road accident he meets Zeng Shuai when the young man fixes his bike. It turns out that Shuai was a kidnapped child and “adopted” by the family he lives with. The family has been good to him, but because of his unknown status he cannot go to university, marry, ride the train, or any other thing which requires an id card. He asks Lei to take a side trip and go with him to check on clues as to where his family might be. The two men bond during their road trip seeking the truth they both desperately want.

I’ve watched many films with Andy Lau, but Lost and Love is the first one where I wasn’t constantly reminded by his acting that he was “Andy Lau.” He gave a vulnerable performance as a father who was ridden with guilt and anguished over his loss. This understated interpretation was quite moving. Jing Bo Ran also gave a realistic performance as a lost son torn between wanting to find his biological parents and not wanting to betray his adoptive parents. The chemistry between the two quickly evolved into a surrogate family as they traversed the country. As they grew closer there were several tender and playful moments between them.

Peng San Yuan based the story on real life father, Guo Gang Tang. She added another missing child whose story with Sandra Ng as a trafficker was woven throughout the film, though it did turn melodramatic. Peng illustrated the complicated feelings and responses parents had who lived through the nightmare of having a child stolen from them. Aside from the guilt and fear, the trauma caused marriages to dissolve, mental health to collapse, and for some parents, the despair drove them to suicide. Peng not only wrote the screenplay but also directed the film. The pacing and transitions kept the film flowing even with three stories being told. The film was visually appealing as Peng highlighted the stunning verdant scenery of the countryside and architectural beauty of old chain bridges.

Lost and Love was heartwarming and heartbreaking and did so without falling into the trap of sentimentality. There were a couple of coincidences that were a bit too on the nose, but I’m a sucker for these stories based on real life events and was able to overlook them. I cannot imagine the terror of not knowing if your child was safe and whether you’d ever see them again. I also cannot imagine having the strength to spend every day for nearly two decades following any hint that might bring me closer to that child and dealing with the soul crushing despair every time a lead did not pan out. Lost and Love brought a horrifically painful subject to light while also showing the supportive networks and people trying to reunite families.

If you’d like to see how the real-life father’s story was resolved, see below.

28 August 2024










*****************************************************************
After TWENTY-FOUR years, Guo was reunited with his son!!!
This link still works as of this writing:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57815491

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"If you leave something behind, you gain something, too"

Writer/Director Celine Song brought out the Kdrama tropes in her directorial film debut Past Lives. She took such tropes as childhood connection (destiny!), lovestruck second male lead, and the much-maligned love triangle and used them in fresh ways. The film I was expecting and the film that played out before me were quite different.

Na Young and Hae Sung are best buddies at the age of twelve. Then her family emigrates to Canada separating the two children. Twelve years later Na Young, now called Nora, looks up old friends on a lark, including Hae Sung. The two reconnect via computer and begin conversing. Hae Sung wants her to come to Korea for a visit and she wants him to come to New York City where she lives. Feeling at an impasse in her life she goes on a break from Hae Sung. Twelve years later, now at the age of 36, Hae Sung comes to NYC to visit the married Na Young.

I dreaded Nora’s husband, Arthur, being portrayed as the rich, abusive or disinterested white guy standing in the way of the sacred childhood connection. I laughed when Arthur said their situation would make a great story, “I would be the evil white American husband standing in the way of destiny. I’m the guy you leave when your ex-lover comes to take you away.” In reality, Arthur was a loving, generous husband, who was learning Korean to better connect with his wife. He didn’t throw a jealous hissy fit when Hae Sung came to town. He respected Nora enough to let her do what she needed to.

Hae Sung arrived in town, obviously still in love with Na Young. Or was he only in love with the idealized version of her? He hadn’t spent any time with her since she was a child. He still lived with his parents and considered himself too ordinary. Despite working, he hadn’t made enough money to marry and had recently broken up with his longtime girlfriend. It didn’t help that handsome Yoo Teo looked his age (42) and not 36 which further made me wonder about his hesitancy with life choices.

The star of the film was Na Young/Nora. She had always had dreams and goals and was highly competitive. She was a playwright and working out her own destiny. The choices she’d made weren’t easy but she knew where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do. That didn’t mean she was cold and calculating. She’d loved Hae Sung as a child and maybe even as an adult. But she also loved her husband and was funny and affectionate with him. Nora made the choices that were right for her, no excuses, and actually seemed satisfied with her decisions. After making the painful decision to go on the break with Hae Sung she never showed any regret. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss him or Seoul, and maybe more importantly, who she was in Seoul. As an immigrant, she had two selves, and both were authentic and important. Hae Sung helped her remember the little girl from Seoul she’d left behind.

Greta Lee gave a lovely nuanced performance as Na Young/Nora. Without tears and histrionics, she delicately showed her character working through where she wanted to be, who she wanted to be with, and more importantly---who she wanted to be. Joe Magara made Arthur a sympathetic three-dimensional character subtly playing out a variety of emotions. Yoo Teo brought a vulnerability to Hae Sung as a man who had to take one last chance to see his childhood love.

This film was far less a love triangle and more one of Nora’s self-discovery and reconnecting with her past and ethnic identity. Many people have that “what could have been” someone in their life. But often that person is in the perfected past of memory and not the imperfect reality of the present. Past Lives gave us mature, honest adults coming to the realization of what doors needed to be closed, opened, and left slightly ajar.

25 August 2024



*********************spoiler******************

















Dude, 24 years? That is why you ended up the second lead. Luck and love favor the bold!

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"Let go so you will be happy"

Down the River told the melancholic story of first love through the eyes of Krit, an openly gay high school student. This film was Director Nuchy Anucha Boonyawatana’s graduate school effort so I was lenient in my rating and criticism of it. The story was heavy with Buddhist and natural symbolism interwoven with the boys’ decisions about their futures and whether they would be together or apart.

Krit is convinced that if he gives offerings and prayers at nine different temples that his wish to be with Win forever will be granted. The two have bonded since childhood and their friendship has crossed over into something more intimate. Win is going to the academy in order to join the military which would end any type of relationship they might have. Win also refuses to believe he is gay despite their friendship blurring lines with being lovers. He has a girlfriend and knows the military and society will not be accepting of him as a gay man. Krit presses flowers and his memories of Win into a book that he keeps with him that becomes a symbol of his love. On the trip to the temple and hike to the Elephant Waterfall, the seventh of the falls, Krit hopes to convince Win to stay, but to his dismay Win invites two girls to go with them. Further dimming Krit’s hopes are the monk at the temple telling him at the beginning of the trip that in order to be happy he has to let go.

Nuchy filmed numerous scenes of water and the woods set to a score that perfectly matched the mood and natural background. Sadly, several scenes were too dark to see much of anything. I don’t know if that was by design, age, or poor equipment. The film was held back between the dark scenes and rudimentary acting. While Krit came across as more fully developed, Win was a bit of an enigma. Despite the more amateur issues, I enjoyed the film especially as the meaning of the title became clear.

Krit reminisced about his relationship with Win in an almost spiritually poetic manner. While the film had a universal theme of first love, it also showed how first love between members of the same sex faced even more hurdles in a time and place where their love wouldn’t be accepted. Sometimes a person can hold onto their first love and other times they have to let it go to the river of time.

12 August 2024

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"I don't have time to get mad anymore"

Filipina director Mae Cruz Alviar and writer Enrico Santos put their own stamp on the relationship time travel trope. They didn’t break new ground but they did commit to their story and characters in a way that came across as authentic.

Mary and John have been married for years and have a son together. Mary still deeply loves John and has built her world around helping him to fly while John has become selfish and angry. John never has time for her or their son, Austin, especially after Austin failed to make the football team. Austin tells his dad that Lodz has been talking with him and that everything is going to work out, his dad just has to figure out what he really wants. John asks who Lodz is and Austin shows him a picture of Jesus. When Mary dies the next day, John has his own meeting with Lodz who has a proposition for the guilt-ridden man.

John had a little over a day to put things right and save Mary. Not really long enough to have a complete personality change and to its credit the film showed John faltering at his first challenge. He was smacked upside his head with what was really of value in his life and how much time he’d wasted thinking only of work and himself. The people around him had suffered and been starved of his affection and attention. Mary was a skilled chef and she wanted to fly. Austin was a gifted pianist ready to fly if given the chance as well. John’s eyes were opened to the love and happiness he’d been shutting out for years and how badly he’d hurt his family.

Few people are given second chances and John learned about redemption, accountability, and regret in a crash course delivered by an electrician to help him see the light. Normally, this is the type of film I’d give a 7.5 to for being a good average movie, but I bumped it up for the commitment the filmmakers showed until the end to not take the easy way out.

11 August 2024

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In 1958, Japan passed the Prostitution Prevention Law and began shutting down the red-light districts. Street walkers were sent to “care shelters” to be rehabilitated. As I watched the opening for Girls of the Night aka Girl of the Dark, I’ll be honest I was afraid this was going to be reminiscent of the Irish Magdalene Laundries known for their cruel and abusive treatment of the “fallen” girls confined there. What I found instead was that the Shiragiku Ladies Dormitory had the least judgmental and most supportive people the former sex trade workers assigned there would encounter. This story followed the challenges Kuniko, a former prostitute, would face as she ventured out in ‘pure’ and ‘polite’ society to find respectable work.

Mrs. Nogami, the headmistress of the Shiragiku Dormitory finds Kuniko work as a live-in worker at a shop. No one there knows what Kuniko used to do for a living. Her boss works her from morning until night and after her living allowance is subtracted from her wages Kuniko will only be making 10, 000 yen/68 USD a year. After her past is revealed, the shopkeeper is determined to demean and replace Kuniko. Rather than be humiliated and taken advantage of, Kuniko takes the situation literally into her own hands. At her next job in a factory, Kuniko tries another tactic and reveals her past to the women in the dormitory. Instead of being supportive her female co-workers violated Kuniko in a disturbingly violent scene. At her third job she finds love, but also runs into the limitations of societal forgiveness and acceptance.

Girls of the Night was one of the few films from this time that was both directed and written by women. Tanaka Kinuyo filmed a fairly progressive film given the timing of the new law. Far from condemning the ex-prostitutes, the film tried to show that the majority of the women sold their bodies due to tragic situations pressuring them from society, family, or personal relationships. Mrs. Nogami time and again supported Kuniko and the other women in her care. When Kuniko asked why it had been okay for her to use her body as she wished before and now it was illegal, Mrs. Nogami had no good answer for her. Girls of the Night also had a lesbian character in a small supporting role, the first I’ve run across in this era. Whether due to the source material or concerns of how the audience would receive the film, they did hedge their bets by having Kuniko be harshly critical of her own past actions and decisions.

The pure and polite society Kuniko interacted with might not have had to sell their bodies to make a living but they also showed they were far from the moral ideal. Kuniko had more than her share of encounters with vile humans but she also found healing in the people who accepted her. The most important person she had to convince that her past could be forgiven was herself. Tanaka’s 5th film in the director’s chair once again showed Mizoguchi Kenji was wrong and that she was quite smart enough to direct a film.

10 August 2024

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