Love Life
Love Life [2022]
Starring: Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada
Direction by Koji Fukada
Language: Japanese
Watching this movie was a product of a) not knowing what else to watch on the plane on the way to my vacation, b) knowing that I would like to start watching movies in languages I have not had experiences with, and c) being too tired to sleep. My first perception of the movie was very different to what I actually thought of it - the movie's poster on my seat's screen was quite colourful, whereas the film explored pretty dark themes of failed marriages and relationships, familial issues, and premature deaths with a lack of acceptance. It was very strange, because I feel like there was nothing completely stand out about the movie: nothing really excelled (in my opinion), but the direction was very cohesive and so everything came together quite nicely. Sometimes, a good watch is not something that has to be 'the best', but something that is good overall.
This movie follows the story of Taeko and Giro, a Japanese couple, who live together with Taeko's son from her first marriage: Keita. Taeko desperately tries to gain the acceptance of her father in law, and struggles with that immensely, until (HUGE spoiler) Keito dies in a tragic incident. The movie then takes quite an unexpected turn. Keita's father, Taeko's first husband (Park), comes back into her life after divorcing her. A man with a hearing impairment, he comes to rely on Taeko in a professional setting as an interpreter to get by. Old emotions resurface, and Taeko finds herself drawn to her former paramour. Whilst this is happening, Giro struggles with the jealousy of Taeko's new relationship, and an inability to voice his emotions over his stepson's death.
I often find that silences in films often represent and draw attention to matters that are left unsaid. However, a lot of this movie was quiet due to the extensive use of sign language. The communication that happened within those silences were so powerful. The representation of understanding was incredibly poignant. The only other time I have seen an idea similar to this one in a film was in CODA, the Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 2022. Brilliant is the only word I have to describe the effect.
Actually, one of my favourite parts was very minor in the grand scheme of events in the movie. It is where Taeko and her mother in law have a discussion about faith, and life after death. The existential part of myself was absolutely screaming when the matter of religion and death came up. It was very interesting to see this discussion of faith, especially in a Japanese context. As far as I'm aware, only a small percentage of the population adhere to Abrahamic religions such as Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, following more spiritually-oriented faiths instead. If anything, this film had the opposite of what I'm essentially conditioned to seeing in American and Indian cinema. A lot of Indian cinema focuses on religion as a benchmark to what happens in a movie, and I am seeing a bit of a trend in American cinema, where religion is starting to have a more influential role in character development. So it was quite refreshing to see a different perspective. Another perk of watching foreign movies, I guess!
I could rattle on about the writing, and how it powerfully examined guilt and desperation, and the perils of a loss of childhood innocence, but those are things that can be seen at a surface level. Good writing is the basis for a good movie: if it hadn't been good I would have lost interest very quickly and stopped watching. And without power, the movie lacks emotional value, which again would make the plotline monotonous.
However, bringing the focus back to the movie, I think it was a a great watch. I will never be afraid to emphasise: expand your horizons and watch a foreign movie! If you haven't started watching them yet, this is a good one to start with.
10
