Gâru

It's been a long time since I've seen a Japanese film for women that didn't try to blatantly lecture women on how they should live and what they should feel (and if this film did, it did it so very subtly and discreetly that I almost didn't notice). The film attempts to shed some light on the lives of women in various social positions, and it does so in a very enjoyable way. The really strong female characters are a big plus (and let's face it, Karina may be the most beautiful of the bunch, but even so, the best for me was Asō Kumiko). The cast was chosen very wisely, they fit the roles perfectly. I admit that I only wanted to watch the movie because of Mukai, who ended up giving a fairly modest performance, but that didn't matter at all. It's a bit of a longer film, but it has a lot to show and say, so it doesn't matter. A positive film for women, a rather boring one for men. (2014.02.03)