“I came looking for you because you touched my heart.” – Blanche
Lucas de Bonneval (Jacques Dutronc) is an inventor of a computer language that went
recognized in Europe after developing it for six years but he also got a
terminal illness in the brain and gave all of his wealth to his
assistant/friend instead. He met a woman in pain, Blanche (Sophie Marceu) and fell in love with
her.
Lucas followed where Blanche is working. Blanche is a psychic in a
casino but have no idea when it gets into her and gets naked when not
controlled.
Lucas have to mention random things for him to remember because
his brain is failing to recognize even the most simplest of things due to his
illness. It also came to the point where Blanche taught Lucas was making a fool
out of her because of the things that he is saying and it made her run mad.
They argued but forget each other and said that they should not argue anymore.
Blanche
Both of them have a sad past; Lucas saw how his father drowned his
mother and himself in a pond and Blanche was abused by his father when she was
young.
Blanche’s company uses drugs. She has a husband even if she loves
Lucas. She married her husband at such a young age.
Blanche also mentioned that she only wants to have a sex whenever
she is “unhappy”.
Blanche and Lucas before their death, talking about the chewing gum
In the end, the two committed suicide (though it was not shown) by
drowning their selves in the sea. Blanche guessed earlier about how Lucas will
die. She said that he will die happy and it happened because they died
together.
When I first watched the film, I was so confused. The movie was
filled with weirdness but is intriguing at the same time. Maybe my
understanding is too shallow for this kind of movie. I enjoyed it anyway. Sophie
Marceau is so beautiful and her acting skill was so great and complemented the
way Jacques Dutronc acts. I think one of
the reasons why the film confused me was because of the transitions and the way
they speak. The shots were changed in a snap which confuses me visually and I
get lost with what they are saying even if there is a subtitle.
Lucas and Blanche
My Nights are More Beautiful than Your Days (Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours, original title) is a 1989 french film directed and written by Andrzej Zulawski.
(c)Angelu Gawaran
A short clip from My Nights are more Beautiful than Your Days (1989):
What if we are currently living in a world that is not real? Will
you continue living in it or seek the truth? What if all the things that we
know were lies? And lies? And lies?
A lot of questions are running in my mind… so many questions yet
so many things left unanswered.
What if this world we are staying at, this world we are calling
home is like The Matrix?
What is The Matrix?
The Matrix, as described by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), is a
computer-generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to
change a human being. (A battery was then shown by Morpheus)
It is also a system and a Neural Interactive Simulation. It makes
the human beings dependent on machines. In the Matrix, humans are grained in a
field and not born.
The film Matrix is about how the “system” controls us using
machines. There are people who were already “enlightened” the ones who knows
the “truth” like Morpheus and the crew in the Nebuchadnezzar ship, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), Tank (Marcus Chong), Cypher (Joe Pantoliano) ,Dozer (Anthony Ray Parker), Apoc (Julian Arahanga), Switch (Belinda McClory) and Mouse (Matt Doran).
The ship Nebuchadnezzar is also called Neb in the film. The name
was based on the bible from Nebuchadnezzar the second, from the book of Daniel.
He is known for his conquests and when he built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
The enlightened people searches for “The One” in the Matrix and
risk their own lives in order to find him. They run and hide from the
Agents. They can get away from the Matrix through a phone call which sends them
back to the “Real World”. Agents are sentient programs that can move in or out
of any software hardwired to their system. They are also in a form of Human Beings
and are usually wearing formal attire with a pen on their tie, a black shades
and an earphone-like communicator on their ear.
As they were on search, Morpheus believes that Neo, was The One. Neo
(Keanu Reeves) is living in a two-kind
of life in the Matrix, the other one with a name of Thomas A. Anderson, who
works as a program writer at a respectable company and the other one as Neo, a
computer hacker. He was told by The Oracle (Gloria Foster) that he “got the gift” and was believed to be “The One” who will
save the world and Zion (the last human city). Morpheus mentioned that Neo was not
yet of-age to know the truth but they were left with little time so he made a
move to get him as soon as he possibly can. He hinted Neo about it when he sent
Trinity where they first met on bar. When Neo was in his office, Morpheus gave
him a newly delivered phone in package and guided him where to go to run from
the Agents who looks for Neo at the same time. Neo failed to run from them and
was caught by the Agents. In order to show control, the Agents closed Neo’s
mouth with their power and put a squid-like bug into his belly button. Neo then
woke up thinking everything was just a dream until he received another phone
call from Morpheus where the latter asked if Neo still wants to see him.
Trinity and company fetch Neo with a car. As Neo doubts them, they
made him choose whether to stay in the car or go in “that highway”. There, they
think Neo was bugged and removed it. That was the time where Neo realized that
it’s not a dream.
Neo choosing the Red Pill
Neo then met Morpheus inside an abandoned building where the enlightened
people are currently hiding. The latter made Neo choose between the blue and
red pill he was holding in his hands. The pill that Neo chooses will determine the
choice he made. The blue pill will make him go back and believe what he wanted believe.
The red pill will take him to “wonderland”, as described by Morpheus, where he
will see truth but will never had the chance to go back. Neo chose the red pill
and the truth was shown to him. The pill was a trace program—disrupts input-output
carrier signal.
the "Field" of human beings
Neo saw the truth and was taken away from the “field” of human
beings where he saw that millions of people being at sleep in a jelly-like
liquid bed. He got wounds and tubes connected to his skin. As he was back in
the real world, year 2199 in the ship of Morpheus, the wounds took time to be
healed. I also noticed that in the “real world”, they are wearing a
neutral-color type of clothing, simple sweatshirts and etc., mostly gray. It may symbolize how simple human beings in
the real world are living. That something is missing from them, a color maybe,
because it was taken away by the Matrix.
Jelly-like liquid Bed
Neo was then put in a loading program inside a computer program
where Morpheus explained everything that he knows to inform and orient Neo to
the real world. In the real world, Neo lost all of his hair due to being “asleep”
in the jelly-like liquid bed but in the loading program, they have a “mental
projection of digital self” where he regained his hair and without insertable
opening for tubes in their skin.
The first loading program shown to Neo was a room with an
overpowering white background with two red couches, a remote control and a
television. The white background for me, symbolizes cleanliness and purity and
a lie at the same time. The red couches were the enlightened people fighting
for the truth. The television can show fantasy and reality depending on what we
want since we are the one who chooses what to “see” using a remote control. Neo
at first don’t want to believe Morpheus with what he was talking about. The
latter also showed how ugly and abandoned the world is now, so different from
the world that Neo knows. He then later succeed to make Neo believed and had a
training battle to another loading program. Neo learned how to do martial arts and other
fighting skills through installing all this programs in his body. Neo was then
personally trained by Morpheus. He also went to the Jump Program where it will
determine if one’s mind is “Free” but Neo failed. Neo’s failure symbolizes that
all of us will make mistakes and will fail sometimes but that doesn’t mean that
we have to give up.
The Matrix is a system and an enemy. It was mentioned that there
are people who are not ready to be “unplugged” (from the dream world) and that
they were dependent on the system that they will fight and protect it. The Agents
were also the gate keepers; they are guarding all the doors and holding all the
keys. In the real world, there are squid-like killing machines made to destroy
any human ship wandering. The EMP or Electro Magnetic Pulse is the only chance
of the enlightened people to defeat those squids. It disables any electrical
system and is only against machines. Cypher , one of the crewmen in the ship
betrays them by talking to Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and told him things that he was not supposed to know.
A “sleeping” (living in the dream world) human being will see the
matrix through a monitor in codes (numbers, letters, etc.) but the enlightened ones
can decode it and see what is in that monitor.. The food that they eat inside the
ship is a porridge-like that has everything the body needs.
Morpheus and company then went to the dream world for Neo to see the
Oracle. In the Oracle’s place, there are people, mostly children, who they call
“other potentials”. A child taught Neo that to be able to do things in the Matrix;
you will just have to remember that nothing is real. Like the spoon she is able
to bend with her mind, it was because she believes that “There is no spoon”.
Neo then met the Oracle, who was baking cookies, and told Neo that he got the gift
of The One but he seems to be still waiting for something. She also told him
that Neo will have to make a choice between his life and Morpheus’.
As they were preparing to go back to the real world, Neo had a déjà
vu. He saw a black cat purred and walked twice. A déjà vu in the dream world is a glitch in
the Matrix which happens when they change something. They were then chased by
the Agents and other policemen. No one from the matrix, either an agent or not,
should see them doing suspicious things because an Agent can send their selves
through anyone’s body. Mouse then died fighting. As they were hiding behind the walls,
they were discovered when one of them let out a loud sneeze. Morpheus told them to go and
had a one-on-one fight with Agent Smith. Cypher made it back to real world with
Tank’s help but betrayed them again when he fired at Tank and Dozer with an
electric gun which caused the latter to die. Cypher then had the power to
unplug anyone he wants and kill them. He unplugged Apoc
and Switchwhile on
the phone with Trinity. As he was going to unplug Neo, he said that if Neo was
The One, there’s got to be a miracle that will save him, and from there, Tank, all
wounded and bloody, was shown holding the gun that killed Dozer and fired at Cypher.
He then helped Trinity and Neo go back in the ship.
Cypher "unplugging" Apoc
The Agents held Morpheus and injected him something that will help
them break into his mind. As Agent Smith was talking to Morpheus alone, he
removed his communicating device in his ear and revealed that he hate and is
tired of what he was doing. He also wanted to be freed and he thinks Morpheus’ mind
is the key and that he has to get inside of Zion.
Neo then decided that he will go back to the dream world in order
to save Morpheus because he said that that’s what he believes in. Trinity
accompanied him saying that it was what she believes in. They entered the
building with a black bag full of guns and killed the guards. The agents then
learned that Neo and Trinity were trying to save Morpheus and because Agent
Smith removed his communicator, he did not know that the two were already
inside the building. As they were fighting, an Agent came to them and showed
how fast he can dodge bullets. Neo seek help from Trinity and was able to dodge
bullets like the Agents. Trinity shot the Agent in the head saying, “Dodge this”
to him. They rode a chopper where the Pilot operator program was installed to
Trinity. Neo then showered the room, where Morpheus was held, with bullets
without hurting the latter. Morpheus then managed to get up but was shot in the
legs by Agent Smith and almost did not manage to jump off the building. Neo
catch and saved him. The Agents then tried to shoot them but shot the helicopter
instead. Trinity was losing control but was saved by Neo. Tank then realized
that Neo was The One.
There is a payphone in a subway which will bring them back to real
world. Morpheus got on first but a beggar saw them and Agent Smith got in
there. Fortunately, Trinity made it back just before Smith fired at the phone. Neo
and Agent Smith had a one-on-one combat then. Neo managed to defeat the agent
by having him struck by the train but another Smith went out of the train
making Neo run. He was then being chased by the agents and has to get the phone
call in a building but as Neo opened the door where the phone was located,
Agent Smith was already there and shot him a lot of times. The agents checked
and thought he was dead. In the ship, Morpheus, Trinity and Tank could not believe
what happened. There were also squids coming to their ship, they can’t use the
EMP if Neo was still in the Matrix because he is not yet unplugged from the Matrix. Trinity still
believes that he is The One because the Oracle told her that the person that she
will love is going to be The One. She realizes that Neo is The One because she
is in love with him. In the Matrix, Neo woke up like nothing happened and the agents cannot
believe so they fired at him using their guns but Neo managed to control the bullets and
destroyed Agent Smith. The two other agents run. He managed to get back on the
ship with Trinity’s kiss just before they use the EMP. Neo then knows that he
is really The One.
Neo controlling bullets
The Matrix is a science-fiction/action film written and directed
by the Wachowski Brothers and was produced by Joel Silver by the distribution
of Warner Bros. Pictures. The music was by Don Davis, cinematography by Bill
Pope, and was edited by Zach Staenberg. The film was first released on March 31,
1999.
Am I awakened? I don’t know. Am I still asleep? I hope I am not.
The Matrix affected me so deeply. From the way I think to the things that
surrounds me. Just one look on the right, questions run through my mind. The
one thing I am sure of? The film opened my eyes to all the possibilities.
I am trying to answer all my curiosity and questions I have for
the film. These are my research and some are my own understanding for it.
Why use the “phone” as a symbol and a matter of transportation
from the dream world back in real world? In my own opinion, they used a phone
because it is a literal form of communicating. That somehow even if people are
worlds apart from each other, a phone helps us to be with them by hearing the
voice on the line. We might not see the people we are talking to on the phone
but it helps us feel that they are just there. That we are somehow transported
to be with them.
What is the essence of the shades? I have always wondered why they
always wear dark sunglasses. Shades can protect and hide our eyes. Our eyes
also communicates when whenever we talk to someone, it expresses our feelings
non-verbally. I personally think that the reason why they are always wearing
sunglasses is because they are hiding something. Like the Agents, they are not
like us and wearing shades represents that they are hiding the truth from the
real human beings.
Why Neo is named Neo? The meaning of Neo is “New”. I think it was
because Neo is the “newest” member to be a part of the ship Nebuchadnezzar yet
he is the one who will save the humans from the Matrix. He is our “new” savior.
I have always wondered why Morpheus thinks that he is losing time
in telling the truth to Neo. Why is he in a rush? I don’t think that question
of mine is answered. I’m still thinking about.
Does being a Caucasian (Whites) have something to do with the Agents? They
have unusually fair skin for me and they were too bright. USA is currently the
most powerful country in the world, they are mostly Whites. I think their
race is based on power since we all know that the US has the power to control
most of the things. I think, being the Whites of the Agents symbolizes power
and control.
What is the road Trinity and Switch talking about? Why is Neo afraid
of going into that highway? I wonder what is with that highway.
When Morpheus said that “the Matrix is a computer-generated dream
world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being”, he
showed a battery to Neo. A battery symbolizes life and energy. Since the human
beings from the Matrix are dependent on machines, the battery (life) will
always have to be connected in order to continue functioning. The Matrix’s plan
is to make us dependent on them.
Morpheus showing the battery.
Using the Structuralist Film Theory, the film conveys meaning
through the things shown in the movie. Everything has a deeper meaning, like
the battery, the shades to the tie of Morpheus. I noticed that Morpheus’ tie is
usually in green which could mean hope since he was the one who found Neo. The
technicalities were amazing. I am literally amazed how great the film was with
its story and at the same time with the other elements of a film.
The Matrix is known for its unique story, superb visual and sound
effects. It also became famous for its “bullet
time” effect. The lighting, scoring and sound effects were perfect for the film
and help to build the mood the scenes needed. The editing was smooth and sewed,
and the shots were established and executed well. The transitions were also
creative.
Having the high-tech vibe, perfect for a science-fiction film, the
production deserves two-thumbs up. It offers emotional attachment through the
viewers by creating a complicated “love story” between Neo and Trinity. It also
touches one’s heart by reminding us that we, human beings, should stand and
fight for what we deserve. We are a slave of no one and should never be. This
is our world and we are the one in control of it. It also taught me that I
should not take things for granted and appreciate every little thing instead. The
Matrix is very informational and intellectual, it makes you think and re-think.
It is the kind of film that deserves to pass on to generation to generation. "There is no spoon."
13 Going on 30, a 2004 film directed by Gary Winick is definitely the comedy, fantasy and romance film that is indeed suitable most especially for teenagers who desire and try to be matured and whose rushing things to be someone like a grown-up in order to get along with other people whom they think are ‘cooler’ than them. The film is all about Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner), who is trying to fit in with the school’s clique named, “Six Chicks.” Jenna Rink is celebrating her 13th Birthday in 1987, she has a wish, and that is to be thirty to be different and thinking that it would ease her insecurities. Matt Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo), Jenna’s best friend gave her, her dream dollhouse and accompanying it, a “magic wishing dust.” As Jenna felt upset with what happened on her Birthday, because of Lucy, the leader of the Six Chicks who did something that ruined the party, Jenna mistakenly thought that it was all because of Matt’s fault.
As Jenna felt angry and saddened, she entered
into a closet and as she bumps back and forth, the magic wishing dust fell on
her and after some seconds, she was transformed into a thirty year-old woman. A
successful, gorgeous and sexy New York fashion magazine editor, living in an
apartment with a live-in athlete boyfriend and who cannot remember even a
single thing about her and to what had happened before when she was just a 13-year-old
preteen. After all, she realized that those things would not satisfy her still
and that would not complete her. She then looked for her childhood best friend,
Matt and only to find out that he has already changed and was already engaged
to somebody else. As Matt gave back the dollhouse to Jenna, Jenna, not knowing
that the magic wishing dust is still working, her dream came true to be back in
the old time.
At the end, they were still the one who got married. The adult
themselves, Jenna and Matt living in a house similarly the same with the
dollhouse Matt gave to Jenna before.
Talking about the directing of Gary Winick,
he was able to create some scenes that would amplify the emotions of the
spectators of the film to laugh, knowing that 13 Going on 30 is a comedy film.
However, he was not able to justify all of the genres of the film at the same
level. I, having watched the film, would not think that the film is a comedy
movie without knowing that it is. The film was more on a fantasy and romance
film. As what you can see in the film, Jenna became a thirty-year-old woman, so
different from what she was before when she was 13 years old and that happened
because of the magic wishing dust Matt gave her on her 13th
Birthday. In this scene, the director have given the audience one manifestation
that the film they are watching is a fantasy film and there are other numerous
scenes that would justify the film as a fantasy one. The film also depicts a romance
type of film. Jenna and Matt, being best friends since their childhood and who became
lovers when they grew up and with the other scenes proved and showed to the
audience there is a savor of love in the film. These two genres, romance and
fantasy has been justified throughout the film. However, there were just very
few scenes that would make you giggle. There is nothing much comic element inculcated
in some scenes or humorous scenes showed. Nevertheless, the movie was great and the
director did not fail to leave a lesson to the audience although it is a fantasy-comedy
film that we do not need to rush things. We just need to enjoy what we have and
to where we are in our lives at the present because we will not esteem the things
that are going to happen if we would be the one who will manipulate the scenes
in our lives by ourselves alone. Just let God.
Most of the scenes in the film were
predictable. There is no room for thinking to what would happen next.
Nonetheless, with Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo’s acting, they lifted up the
film. The charm and the chemistry are in between them that really made this
romantic film great. The music directors also did a great job with the music
score of the film.
The editing of the shots was also great. When
Jenna was still a 13-year-old preteen and when the magic wishing dust sprinkled
on her and she became a 30-year-old woman, the editing of the shots was superb.
Despite the fact that the film is a fantasy one, because of the editing of the
shots, the story looks like it was a real one. The screenplay was also good. There
were numerous catchy love quotes in the film said by the actors that would
really be stocked in the minds of the people who will watch the movie. One
example is the line said by Matt to Jenna, “Love is a battlefield.” It was well
crafted by the film’s screenwriters, Josh
Goldsmithand Cathy Yuspa.
13 Going on 30,
this 2004 American film fall under Apparatus Theory. It is defined under Apparatus
Theory that it maintains that cinema is by nature ideological. When people are
watching a particular film, they do not know nor observe that there is already
something that is being programmed in our minds. It seems like the cinema
programs our minds. Like what is in the film, as we watch 13 Going on 30, our
minds are being influenced that in nature we always do something to be able to
be in the line, to be in the flow, to be in the spotlight, as what Jenna did.
Nonetheless, the film did not fail to show to its audience the moral lesson of
it.
Here comes again the most awaited part two of
the thriller film, Taken 2, preceding this film, Taken, which was released on
2008. Taken 2, a thriller, action and crime film directed by Olivier Megaton,
started as Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) with his wife Lenore, (Famke Janssen) and
his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) went to Istanbul to have a family vacation
coming from the United States.
As what happened in Taken, the first part of the
film prior Taken 2, Bryan Mills’ daughter, Kim went to Paris with her friends
to have a vacation. Unfortunately, Kim was abruptly kidnapped to utilize her as
a prostitute in Albania. Now, Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent, after knowing
what had happened to his daughter, he then went to Europe to find his daughter.
The film ended as Bryan Mills killed all the abductors of his daughter, Kim who
tried to sell her as a prostitute. Having been killed the kidnappers of his
daughter, one of the fathers of the kidnappers who Bryan Mills killed in order
to redeem his daughter being captivated, took revenge. As Bryan Mills and his
family were in Istanbul, his foes planned how to kidnap Bryan and his family.
Bryan Mills and his wife Lenore was kidnapped. Nonetheless, at this time, his
daughter now have its turn to save his father together with her mother. The
film ended as Bryan Mills killed Murad Krasniqi, the father of the kidnapper
whom Bryan killed before.
Reviewing the film through the directing of
Olivier Megaton of the French-American thriller film, Taken 2, the story of the
film was great although it is already too conventional because we have already
seen numerous films, which do have stories about kidnappings. However, what made the film not so good is its
storyline. The story of the film was very predictable. After witnessing the
first scenes, you will be able to quickly predict what is going to happen next.
The film does not help the spectators of the film to form witty criticisms because
they are already providing everything on the screen. If the spectators of the
film could provide some criticisms, yes they could give but just some sort of
superficial reviews and criticisms. They are not making the spectators of the
film to think but to just sit and enjoy the movie and it is done.
There were also numerous scenes in the film
that are just fantasia. One of which is when Bryan Mills commanded his daughter
to throw grenades coming from the hotel where his daughter was to one certain place.
This is ridiculous. No police officer in Istanbul would allow that thing to happen.
Not just in Istanbul but also in any other countries, who would allow you to
just throw off grenades without any valid purposes. In addition, when their abductors
already kidnapped Bryan Mills, he was still able to call his daughter via phone
in front of his kidnappers and instructed her daughter some things to be able
to get away with their abductors. As we all know, kidnappers are supposed to be
bad and evil and so who would allow their captives to call someone? Another
scene in the film is when Bryan and his wife were placed in a dark room. The
leader of the abductors, the father of the son whom Bryan killed before, just
left them their without any person guarding them to secure that they will not
be able to run away from them. The story of the film was good but it was not
well directed.
Talking about the acting of the cast, Liam
Neeson’s acting was excellent and admirable. He is a manly, retired CIA agent
but he has still able to manage to act in a way to show how he is as a father,
as the typical father we all know that is loving and protective. He was able to
show in the film the skills he has as a retired CIA agent and it looks like he
is really a CIA agent though he is not in real life. In addition, with Maggie
Grace’s acting, the daughter of Bryan in the film, her acting was great but I
do not just like some of the scenes where she acted. I just do not like the
savor of some of the scenes where she acted. Some scenes were acted exaggeratively.
Moreover, talking about the cinematography of
the film, the shots were good and directed well. The scenes they made were
appropriate to the place where they were shooting the film. One exemplar is
when Bryan Mills and his wife Lenore was being chased by their abductors, the
certain place in Istanbul where they were is appropriate to that particular
scene they are trying to shoot.
Furthermore, with all the formal or technical
elements of the film like scoring, sound and set design of the film, it falls
under Formalist Theory. The music and sound effects they utilized in the film
were really an enormous help to be able to make some certain scenes to be more
realistic. When the kidnappers are chasing and looking for Kim in the hotel in
Istanbul, the sounds being played as the scene is also being shown, were good
and so the scene is convincing and the tension is there in the spectators.
Diverse emotions are being build up.
From
Gabrielle Zevin’s novel with the same title, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac is
2010 drama film starring Maki Horikita, Kenichi Matsuyama, Yuya Tegoshi and
Anton Yelchin. It was filmed in Japan with a quarter of the English language
and was released on March 27, 2010. It was directed by Hans Canosa and was produced by Kwesi Collisson under Aoi Production and Dot Dot Dot Films.
The
story was about a girl who lost 4 years worth of her memories when she fell on
the stairs in front of their school. The girl, Naomi Sukuse (Maki Horikita) was
helped by a boy from her school for he was the only one who saw the accident;
Miwa Yuji (Kenichi Matsuyama) pretended to be her boyfriend so that she could
have some company.
Tokyo American School facade
Naomi
is a student of Tokyo American School, an international school in Japan. She
lives with her father, Goro Sukuse (Atsuro Watabe). Her best friend Mirai Hasegawa (Yuya Tegoshi),
helps fasten regaining her memory through songs burned in CDs. Naomi have a
boyfriend named Ace Zuckerman (Anton Yelchin) but feels like she barely knew
him at all and refused to have sex with
him on the Homecoming. Naomi and Mirai were members of the yearbook club in
their school.
Naomi
had a very hard time adjusting to things since she was not used to it and felt
like she is a very different person. She also had doubts if the “old” she was
even happy in her life. She then decided to cut her hair which gave her a new
perspective and feeling. Naomi broke up with Ace the same night of the
Homecoming and had a quarrel about Naomi’s new hair which Ace called “stupid”.
Naomi
also felt somehow uncomfortable with Mirai since she was unsure about the
yearbook. Mirai once mentioned that the yearbook was important for them and
that he “believe a good yearbook can create a good school it could even create
good students, a good world and a good planet!” and that she might find it
boring but they were doing it with conviction. On the other hand, she grew closer
and had a special romantic relationship with Yuji. She also joined in a play
where she played as the boy main protagonist. She also became close to the
people she was not close before like Risa Arisa (Karen Kirishima), her father’s
girlfriend/ fiancée and her twin daughters. She also bonded with Alice Leeds
(Emma Roberts), the director of the play and others. But as she was
experiencing a new life, she was having a gap with her best friend especially
when she decided to leave the yearbook.
On
the stairs where Naomi had an accident, Yuji and her decided to have fun by
collecting their own captured pictures and throwing cameras all over the place.
Mirai saw Naomi running carelessly in the stairs and showed concern to her but
decided to leave when he realized that it was “none of his business”. As Mirai
was walking up the stairs, Naomi suddenly remembered everything. She recalled
that she really “chose to dive” and that she was “heading towards something or
maybe trying to escape from something” but she decided not to tell anyone about
it and acted as if she still had amnesia.
Yuji and Naomi capturing random shots in the stairs
As
Naomi was getting some of her textbooks from Yuji’s locker, she saw an envelope
from University of Southern California (USC) and decided to give it to him and
learned that he passed the exam but Yuji felt indifferent afterwards. One day,
Ace was talking to Naomi about tennis; Yuji then suddenly came and punches Ace
and told him “Don’t go near her”.
Yuji
then went to Los Angeles, California. He then asked Naomi to go there since she
promised Yuji that she will go there whenever he feels depressed. Yuji paid for
the airfare but made Naomi wait outside the airport for almost two hours.
They
went near the seashore and Yuji again left her to get his surfboard for almost
an hour or so. He came back with no surfboard in his hands. Naomi asked him
what was really happening with him since he is being indifferent again. He told
her that he went to a cemetery where he found his self looking for his
brother’s grave yet he do not even know where it is. Naomi was contacted by her
father that she will be going home the next morning. . As Naomi was on the
plane, she watched the presentation burned in a CD that Mirai made for her
birthday.
On
a payphone, she called Mirai and thanked him for the presentation. There she
learnt about Winnie (Kylee) and Mirai dating. Her father fetched her from the airport and
declared that she is grounded and as they were on their way home, she confessed
to her father that she remembers everything.
One
day, Naomi contacted Yuji through a payphone and learnt that Yuji was in a hospital
in Nagano. She asked Mirai to accompany her. He doesn’t really want to but he
can’t tolerate Naomi. They took the train to Nagano and went to Yuji. There,
Naomi confessed that she remembers everything, that despite it, she still likes
Yuji. Mirai did not want to believe that Naomi had already remembered
everything the last two months so he walked out and declared that he will just
wait outside. Yuji and Naomi went outside also but had a serious talk about how
embarrassed he is that Naomi sees him as patient in a mental hospital. He also
told Naomi everything that he felt.
Naomi and Mirai on the train to Nagano
On
their way home, Mirai and Naomi had dinner and talked about their past. Mirai
said that they were having a more special relationship that being best friends
and that he was about to confess to her the day the accident happened but was
not able to do so since she was not even able to remember him and also talked about how their relationship
changed afterwards.
One
day, Naomi received a postcard from Yuji with words written “Forget Me”. That
was the time where she learned that she had to move on because that was also
what Yuji wants her to do.
the "Forget Me" letter from Yuji
Things
were falling at the places where they should fall especially when Ace tried to convince
and made Naomi agree to play tennis again. They had a better relationship than
they did before as friends. Ace also apologized to Naomi for the things that he
had done and the bad things that he said when they broke up. Naomi apologized
too.
While
watching TV with her father and his fiancée Risa, someone called on Naomi’s
phone and told her that Mirai was in the hospital. Naomi visited Mirai their
closeness grew back especially when Mirai asked Naomi to take in charge of
doing the unfinished business for their yearbook. After the yearbook was
finished, she brought a copy to Mirai and had laughs together.
One
day on a boat while cruising, Naomi had a heart to heart talk with her father,
where she learned a lot of things. On her father’s wedding day, she served as
the official photographer at the request of Risa.
On
Graduation day as she was taking pictures, Yuji’s mother asked if she and Yuji
could have a picture together. There, she remembered everything that Yuji and
her shared together. They also had some kind of a closure.
As
Naomi and Mirai were walking down the stairs where Naomi had her accident, they
shared a type of silence that was not awkward and even describe it as “silence
between us sounded like a melody”.
Naomi and Mirai
The
film was very technical and has a very creative way of showcasing the story
visually. Since the film requires a lot of photographs and some videos, they
showed the pictures in the screen like it was a projector so that they don’t
have to do another shot and instead have the viewers see it on screen itself.
The film was made with artistic-ness so with the Formalist Film Theory the film
makers justified the elements of the film. The lighting was perfect and there were
no dark shots that could off the mood. One of my favorite elements in the film
was the scoring because it describes a certain act and helps in building up the
emotion. They used some background effects which were not really noticeable but
since I am watching it closely and observantly, I did and I should applaud them
because they did it in a complementary way. The editing was good though it was
not as seamless as American films were since they used mostly Japanese methods
in making the film. The shot composition was amazing like what I mentioned a
while ago, they did some good tricks at showing the pictures in the camera, and
the angles fit the scenes. Establishing shots were made but there are some
settings where it kind of took my time to realize where they are since they did
set up the mood by establishing it.
Maki
Horikita is a Japanese Actress who played as the main protagonist Naomi Sukuse.
Her acting was not all out because I kind of feel that she is somewhat
conscious at how she acts. I like her character in the movie though since I am
a teenager myself and can relate through some things that she has gone through.
Her character is very personal to me because she did some things that I did and
will do but nevertheless even if she is not greatest actor to play the role, I
like her very much. Kenichi Matsuyama on the other hand, never disappointed me
with his acting skills. I have watched several films with him as an actor and
he always surprises me with every role that he plays. He was perfect as Yuji
Miwa and gave so much justice to his role. His face were so expressive and his
action were so moving that the scene where they he had a serious talk with
Naomi, I felt him so much. It was so genuine so aside from the creative shots
of this film, I will raise my two thumbs up to Mr. Matsuyama. Yuya Tegoshi
played as Mirai Hasegawa and was not as outstanding as Horikita and Matsuyama
considering that he was one of the main characters. His facial expressions were
not as convincing as it should be which he should have given so much importance
because his role was so big and necessary. Anton Yelchin, an American actor,
played as Ace Zuckerman and like Tegoshi, he was not as convincing for the
role. He delivered the lines in a scripted way and I was somewhat disappointed
with that. The minor roles like Winnie, Alice and the others were not great yet
good. On the other hand, Naomi’s father, Goro Sukuse was played by Atsuro
Watabe and its fiancée, Risa Arisa played by Karen Kirishima, were good in
their respective roles. Their facial expression was good and It felt like they
were not acting at all.
The
film was very personal to me not just to Naomi but about everything. Somehow I
feel the movie with all my heart for unknown reasons. There are things that we
want to forget, things that we want to escape but at some point in our lives,
we must learn how to face them. We must know who we are first before we can
know other people. We must love our selves first before we can love each other.
We must also not rush to forget things because as what Mr. Sukuse said when
they were cruising that we will somehow forget the people that we truly love,
even the people who we think we’ll remember till the very end and “that’s why
the waves of memories get thinner.. It’s because it’s possible to forget those
things that it makes it possible for us to love someone else in the future.”
