Phases of the Moon: love conquers all in Japanese reincarnation drama

The blurb of 2023 Japanese Netflix Original film Call Me Chihiro describes the titular Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) as an unapologetic former sex worker. Unapologetic is possibly too strong of a term for the passive protagonist of prolific filmmaker Rikiya Imaizumi’s latest film. Based on the manga of the same name, by Hiyoyuki Yasuda, we follow Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) as she leaves her old life behind and serves bento to a welcoming town of friendly faces.


While it’s true that Chihiro (Arimura) displays no shame or remorse for her life choices, in this sedentary seaside town she doesn’t need to, the stigma of sex work isn’t really present. There is an allusion to the hardship she has faced, but this is definitely a more sanitized portrayal of that world. It’s an interesting choice of past life for the main character, but it’s almost irrelevant; it’s as if Chihiro would be equally lost if she was an architect or a doctor. The very adult nature of her previous life does, however, provide a stark and interesting juxtaposition to her childish attitudes and playful way of seeing the world.

This childishness becomes quite grating but makes sense for a character somewhat stuck in arrested development. Her companions are teenaged Okaji (Hana Toyoshima) and school boy Makoto (Tetta Shimada), though she is notably not in a position of authority with these two. If anything, they are her peers.

Chihiro’s ex-employer, Utsumi (Lily Franky) describes her as missing something inside, and Kasumi Arimura’s acting has to be praised. She does a great job of portraying this lack of engagement with the wider world, wearing the same expression whether she’s apologising for some unauthorised babysitting, watching a bar fight, or burying a corpse.

The film is brilliant at showing rootlessness and transience. Chihiro’s loneliness is made evident as she crawls on all fours to get attention from a disinterested cat. Inhibitions don’t plague her, and the eagerness she displays for some attention is very telling.

One aspect that is interesting in the first quarter of the film is Okaji’s obsession with Chihiro, the voyeurism and photographs a potential metaphor for the ownership of sex workers. But as the film goes on, and the two become friends, this doesn’t amount to anything. It is simply never explained why this teenage girl has taken hundreds of photos of a nearly-thirty-year-old woman playing on the swings.

Alongside food, which is an obvious motif – the rice and vegetables nourishing the characters’ bodies whilst the conversations and interactions nourish their souls – the other main theme running throughout the story is the importance of found family. Unfortunately, parents don’t fare well in this world, all of them unable to offer their children what they need. Chihiro’s found family are a motley crew, as lost and lonely as she is. But her impact on their lives, whilst on the surface wholly inappropriate, is nothing but positive.


Ninja Turtles: Caos mutante Película Completa Mi soledad tiene alas Película Completa No tengas miedo (Cobweb) Película Completa Película Completa Película Completa Blue Beetle Película Completa Hypnotic Film Complet Visions Film Complet Le Dernier Voyage du Demeter Film Complet Anatomie d'une chute Film Complet El Justiciero:Capítulo Final Película Completa El Justiciero:Capítulo Final Película Completa El Justiciero:Capítulo Final Película Completa Vida perra Película Completa Vida perra Película Completa Campeonex Película Completa Campeonex Película Completa Barbie Película Completa Barbie Película Completa Megalodón 2: La fosa Película Completa Megalodón 2: La fosa Película Completa Oppenheimer Película Completa Oppenheimer Película Completa Blue Beetle Película Completa Blue Beetle Película Completa WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE WEBSITE

Komentar

Posting Komentar

Postingan populer dari blog ini

Kawaguchi Haruna & Yokohama Ryusei to star in TBS drama Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte

Gambar
Kawaguchi Haruna and Yokohama Ryusei will star in TBS's new drama 'Kikazaru Koi ni wa Riyuu ga Atte' that's set to begin this April.  This is an original love story about a woman who loves to dress up as she finds her individuality by living in a shared apartment with various people with different values. Kawaguchi will play the protagonist Mashiba Kurumi, and Yokohama will play a minimalist named Fujino Shun. Mashiba works as a PR for el Arco Iris, an interior maker that is popular among young people and is also an influencer with nearly 100,000 followers on social media. She works hard every day to continue being admired; however, she is forced to move out of her apartment after forgetting to renew the contract. With the help of a popular food stylist named Saotome Kouko, she moves into a shared apartment in Omotesando. There, she meets Shun, a chef who pursues a simple life, his second cousin and online counselor Terai Haruto, and prospective artist Hase Ayaka.  The
Baca selengkapnya

Aya Ueto is commercial queen for 2nd year in a row

Gambar
Aya Ueto is Japan's TV commercial queen for the second straight year, according to media research company Nihon Monitor. Ueto, 25, topped the chart by advertising for 13 companies this year. Ueto has been involved in a number of campaigns that have run for more than a year, including those for Softbank's famous Shirato family series in which the paternal figure is played by a white dog, and suit company Aoki. The data suggested that Ueto's high visibility in commercials has made her a familiar face to most of the nation. Actresses held all three of the top positions in the ranking with Saki Aibu, 25, second with appearances in ads for 12 companies this year, and Aoi Miyazaki, 25, coming in third with 11. Riding the wave of success that followed the release of their album "Beginner" in November, eight members of pop group AKB48 also ranked highly, including Yuko Oshima, 22, and Atsuko Maeda, 19. Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss Ki
Baca selengkapnya

Keiko Kitagawa is once again the face that Japanese women want to have

Gambar
In a survey held by Oricon Japan last month, some 500 Japanese females aged 10 to 50-plus chose the face of the Japanese female celebrity that they want to have the most. Topping the ranking is actress Keiko Kitagawa, who was also the first in last year’s ranking. Here are the top 10 Japanese celebrities whose beauty is most envied among women in Japan. This consecutive win not only marks Kitagawa’s sixth No. 1 place in this ranking that has been running for the 14th time, it is also the first time since 2009 when an actress who is also a mum topped the ranking. That winner 11 years ago was none other than Nanako Matsushima, who is known for starring in the 1998 horror film Ring. Although Kitagawa had just given birth to a girl last September, her beauty remains dazzling as she attended a movie promotion event earlier this month, after her maternity leave. The survey participants have described her looks as “perfect” and “gorgeous”, and even wanted to “live a day with this face”. Had
Baca selengkapnya