Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain Beautifully underplayed and explored in a mature and realistic fashion. The relationship between brother and sister is never displayed as wrong nor right, making this an honest film which the audience can perceive in their own ways. Most will find it slow, as many will not be able to appreciate the quiet decay of something both beautiful and destructive. These quiet moments are for us to think and feel as the film progresses, an empty or closed mind will not serve this film well. Most scenes are made up of 1-3 characters discussing the events, but in a subtle and dark way. The smallest moments can have the most dramatic impact. The mother discovering a bed that's not been slept in. The smile as Yori watches Iku etc. Wonderful moments and a wonderful movie.

le_muser As someone before me said,Iku and Yori's love was doomed from the start (twincest = no longer okay. Although once upon a time people used to force twins to marry).It's always very sad to not be able to return to a happier time; to be forced to move on.In the beginning,I wondered if it was lust just from how suddenly Yori's emotional damn broke,but I was quickly corrected by watching all the tense interactions.There's a lot of subtlety in this movie, if you're the type of person who doesn't pick up on it,you won't understand this at all.It is very slow in that there are many awkward pauses;several times I wanted to yell "Say something!Anything!" but that's how life is, isn't it? Full of awkward moments when no one knows what to say? Initially, when the movie ended, my response was "that's it?", but when I thought about it,that way made the most sense -- a quiet death to their relationship because if they grieve strongly,they wont be able to handle living 'so close,yet so far'. My only remaining queries are if the mother actually realized the situation and if Yori or Iku regretted their romance for the heartbreak/pain it caused them. Jun Matsumoto continually impresses me with his acting,and I say this as a movie connoisseur because Arashi really isn't my thing.

kalany_m Forget what you've heard before about what this story is about. This story is about a love that is doomed in every respect, but even so is still so deep that it can not be denied.This movie tested my patience. At certain points the movement on screen was so slow that I started to think there was something wrong with the disc player I was using. I am not a fan of 'artsy' films. I do not usually shed tears during 'emotional moments' in movies. I am not familiar with the other incarnations of this story in Japanese comic or animation form so I am judging it based only on what I saw in this film.The ending got under my skin and made me shed tears. Due to a painfully beautiful ending I can not give this movie higher praises. Upon a 2nd viewing all the almost unbearable slowness makes sense and is actually appreciated! The acting once thought hollow now seems only reserved emotions. I found the movie to be a true experience.I recommend that if you can bare the initial slowness to give this movie a chance and hopefully you will come away with a deeper understanding of what love is and can be. Ironically, this was an extremely moving film with the least amount of actual movement I have seen in a very long time. I am personally very thankful to have seen this film.

8thSin There is an old Japanese saying: 「終わり良ければ全て良し」"As long as the ending is good, it's all good"... They were talking about this movie.This movie is about a pair of twins who loves each other finally starts acting on it. The first 1:30 of this movie was incredibly slow. Of course, this is very typical of many Japanese films, but it was extremely difficult to watch because all the characters seemed emotionless and it felt as if they were reading lines off a big board behind the camera. I was about to give this film a mediocre rating like 3/10 at this point, then the last scene started... The long shot starting with rock/paper/scissors in the last scene is probably the most amazing shot I've ever seen in Japanese movie or drama so far. All the monotonous dialogs, long silences, emotionless acting were buildups for this very last scene, where the emotion finally erupts. I've never been a believer in Matsumoto Jun's acting skills, but I've been proved wrong in the very last 10 minutes. The ending was very deep, as the two main characters, without words exchanged, realize their relationship will never reach anywhere, and 10 the last steps were taken, lass kiss was exchanged.Although some of the character's actions didn't make sense early in the movie, I enjoyed it a lot thanks to the great ending and the cuteness of Eikura Nana.Recommended for patient MatsuJun or Eikura Nana fans.