We watch movies to be entertained. We watch feel good movies to feel better. We watch underdog stories because its fun to cheer for someone. We love mysteries because we like to play detective along with the protagonist. Some people love crying porn because they love crying and sometimes we need a confronting movie that doesn't make us feel so good.
Himeanole stars off like an awkward underdog comedy about two guys who clean buildings. Okada's (Hamada Gaku) colleague is infatuated with Satsukawa Aimi who works at a cafe. He is worried about Morita Go who goes to the cafe everyday and seems to be stalking her. It turns out that Morita Go is Okada's former classmate and Okada and his colleague and up trying to help Satsukawa Aimi and Okada ends up with her but things start going very wrong.
I won't spoil what happens in the second half because shit does go down. Suffice to say, its a very confronting movie about the nature of evil and causality and Himeanole doesn't give any answers.
My thought process during the second half was basically WTF? WTF! WTF!? Himeanole is the type of dark, nihilistic movie Sono Sion would have made in his heyday and I could not stop thinking about the movie after it finished.
Absolutely must watch if you are up for an uneasy viewing that will make you flinch. Thanks to Eric Paoissien for subbing this great movie!
I just finished watching this today and it was a good movie indeed!
ReplyDeleteI never guessed the connection between Okada and Morita, nor the latter's motivations for his crimes.