Japanese Story

This movie did nothing for me at all. The two leads had absolutely no chemistry. Lastly the twist while unexpected was stupid.

For me this is a film of two starkly contrasting parts; before Hiromitsu dies, which is a mostly clichéd story of culture clash etc., and after Hiromitsu dies, which is a genuinely powerful exploration of death and love. Indeed, the scenes involving Hiromitsu's death and the subsequent attempts by Sandy to move his limp body into their car are some of the best scenes in Australian cinema of the past 20 years. I rate the first part 45 and the second part 75, which gives an overall score of 60.

What a wonderful movie and love story. Toni Collette was magnificent in lead role and really pulled me into similar emotions. And the musical score was heavenly good. One of best films released in year 2003.

Drags on in the last portion. I get what they wanted to convey, but some messages are better when more succinct.

The twist caught me completely off guard, so the emotional impact was quite effective for me. The music (+a few other things) at the ending however got annoying after a while, being way too repetitive. The Japanese guy was really good looking though, rawr!

The last half hour was especially "meh".

"The film should easily appeal to anyone who's never met an Asian person in their life." - Ed Gonzalez

Fine enough on an acting front, but with a plot that floats away in its inconsequence.

While I appreciated the overall tone of the film, and the unexpected twist, it left me empty. I didn't buy that these two people would get together in the way they did, and the actors did little to sell it. Disappointing.