Quick Review #63: Yoake no subete (movie)

Title: Yoake no subete / 夜明けのすべて

Rating: 9 / 10

Recommended for: 

Those who want to see a film without angst and dramatic developments that will make your hearts feel lighter by the end and/or are fans of the leads Kamishiraishi Mone and Matsumura Hokuto

Liked:

- The movie stands out for its use of soft lighting like the warm sunshine in winter and slightly grainy picture quality to create a relaxing vibe despite the slightly emotionally-heavy theme weaved into the story. This is in stark contrast with the trend of going for sharp and clear picture quality and visually-wowing type of visuals these days. In addition, the movie did not use pulsating or extremely dramatic BGM to go with the story developments which flowed like a gentle river so the accompanying music felt a bit like natural atmospheric white noise that was not jarring on the ears. Even the ending credits maintained this style consistently by featuring everyday life at the Kurita Kagaku factory which was a joy to watch.

- Although the movie featured the leads as people with PMS and panic disorder who find it hard to fit in at work because of these ailments, it did not go overboard in portraying them as "sick people". It is true that people with these ailments are having a hard time in society due to the lack of understanding of these conditions by the people around them and the stigma surrounding mental conditions, illnesses that are not apparent from the outside or are related to menstruation (many people especially guys and even some women do not think that menstruation-related issues are considered an illness). However, the film's matter-of-fact approach - get people to have an interest in learning about these issues first before they can empathise with those with these ailments - was really impactful and effective. A lot of times, movies featuring people with medical conditions tend to "preach" that you must be gentle and kind towards them but that often comes without understanding their struggles in the first place. What you don't know, you probably cannot appreciate so it can be difficult to show consideration and kindness on a sustainable and sincere basis.

There was also a line which left a deep impression on me. Kamishiraishi's character Fujisawa wondered aloud that there seemed to be a "ranking" for illnesses based on perceived seriousness when Matsumura's character Yamazoe remarked that her PMS condition didn't seem as serious as his panic disorder. In fact, most people probably also feel the same way about "visible illnesses" vs. "invisible illnesses" - what you can see, you probably can imagine better than something which you can't. 

The movie also tried to strike a balanced view by showing how those who are having struggles due to their ailments, can try to cope better through seeking timely and proper treatment and being a bit more open to sharing their problems with the people around them in order for them to understand better. For example, Yamazoe was angsty at first about how people didn't get his pain and literally set up a wall around him to prevent others from getting close to him. However, once he opened up to Fujisawa and the two developed a comradeship which allowed them to empathise with and support each other in a natural manner, he was definitely happier. Goes to show that understanding and acceptance work both ways and cannot be done in an one-sided manner.

- Those who watched "Come Come Everybody" would be keen to see the reunion of Kamishiraishi and Matsumura. I thought that the relationship between their characters was very engaging and pleasing to watch because you could see how their care and concern for each other while not coming across as something very forced and unnatural, really came across as something that made their lives a lot more bearable. At the same time, since their relationship was a bit hard to define - definitely not romance, not really friendship, a bit more than colleagues -, the difficulty of portraying this fine balance was handled very well. In particular, Kamishiraishi's portrayals of the outbursts and emotional downs caused by PMS were so convincing vs. the usual demure and gentle demeanour of Fujisawa. Those who have been through PMS would likely be nodding their heads in approval at how she managed to nail this so well.

Disliked: 

- Nothing in particular.