BelSports
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Jenni Devyn
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
Dante_
I really think a couple of the other comments about this film have been a bit harsh. Sure it's not for everyone. It is slow paced (but in the best possible way) and gentle...and a truly beautiful gem of a film. And if you like that kind of film you're in for a treat.The character development is so delicate that it is a real pleasure to watch their journey unfold. To me everything about this film was beautiful, if a little sad at times. Even the sex scenes were inoffensive.Shinobu Terajima and Nao Omori are amazing and their on screen chemistry is (for me) the key to what makes this story such a joy to watch. I think this is one of those films that you will either love or hate (literally), but give it a try because if you love it, this wonderful story will stay with you long after the credits have ended.
lilyphilia-1
I can honestly say that the moment this movie began, I was drawn in by the coldness of Shinobu's voice... The entire message of the movie, in my opinion, is a beautiful one-- one of rebirth and renewal in one's life, and the decision to live for the better. True, the film contains long filler clips of scenery and music-- but that only gives the viewer time to take in what they've seen along the ride of VIBRATOR.The previous reviewer of this movie states that it was absolutely horrible... But I find an artistic quality to it that touched me on a personal level. The film grasps concepts of the longing women have to fit in-- seeking out beauty by destroying ones' body, and so on. But throughout the movie a metamorphosis takes place, and Shinobu realizes that she is no longer alone and has something in her life that she should live for.If you're into action flicks, or movies that are easy to comprehend, then I don't suggest VIBRATOR for you. However, if you've enjoyed films such as 'Last Life in the Universe' or perhaps, 'All About Lily Chou-Chou' in the past, then I would recommend this movie. There are a lot of deep messages hidden deep within the plot, and I had a fun time discovering them.
brownralphshort
One of the best films of the year (released 2003 although I saw it at the International Film Festival in San Francisco). Meditative, intelligent, intimate, the film addresses, realistically, I felt, what it feels like to feel lost. The sexual encounters, the truck driving sequences, the breakdown episodes, the scattered moments of shared and nearly unexplainable joy and/or release all feel real. Great, great film. Highly recommended.In response to the first reviewer of this film, I can only say that some people like fast-paced movies and some like slow-paced movies and some like both. If you only like faster paced movies, this probably isn't for you. If you like to have a movie that is a little crunchy, a little gritty, then see it. Not for those who are easily offended or bored.
krvmshow
Vibrator is a movie I'd like to forget. A movie where the fake-outs and plot twists get faked-out and twisted-over so you're right back where you started. A movie that transfers, seamlessly, from grotesquely silent anal sex sequences to intricately technical discussions over the innermost workings of CB radio.There are shots in this film that make you wonder if the projectionist accidentally spliced in thousands upon thousands of identical frames. Characters sit, silently eating soup, for up to and including ten minutes at a time. It's like watching paint dry, only at some point in the course of the first act, the paint is already dry, and you just sit around watching paint for two hours!Vibrator is truly remarkable in its refusal to tell a story, to grab your attention, or event to through in a shred of music every now and then! For a movie with practically two speaking parts, you might figure it to be a characters study, but that would involve actually wiggling some effort in the way of character development.Vibrator never surmounts to anything. The cinematography, flashy at best, is reminiscent of a Mitsubishi commercial, sans-techno. The main players do fine, but are given virtually no material to play to an audience with. Characters cry, and you just watch them. You don't feel them.I walked out of the late-night screening of Vibrator from the LA Film Festival feeling drastically cheated.
