Wow this was amazing and so sad. I really liked so much. I really liked everything about this film. It was just executed so well. The introduction of the family was done great. When the flashback of the family realising that the dad is pretty much infertile, it was bittersweet to see them swallow that pill and figure out what they need to do next. It was beautiful to see the ways that this couple wanted a kid of their own, but couldn't biologically. The way they are working together to have their own kid was beautiful. Then this film just gets so much better when the biological mom of the kid gets introduced, my god. With Hikari's story arch, the audience arguably might side with Hikari more than the parents, just because of everything that Hikari went through up until she had to give up the baby. You really feel for Hikari and everything that she has been through on her journey up until this point. Her flashbacks were the best part of the film, just by how they humanize her and build her character. When Hikari leaves her home to stay with the adoption agency, a problem gets brought to light in a subtle and powerful way. Two of the other mothers in the house talked about why they're there and couldn't have a kid. They both got coerced into joining a brothel against their will, and they talk about how they were taken advantage of. This brought awareness to sex trafficking problems in Japan and how there are many victims out there. This was executed very well by Kawase. The overall film was mostly told through these flashbacks and it somehow felt so seemless. The pacing was absolutely incredible as well. You couldn't tell that this film was 2.5 hours long.
Wow this was amazing and so sad. I really liked so much. I really liked everything about this film. It was just executed so well. The introduction of the family was done great. When the flashback of the family realising that the dad is pretty much infertile, it was bittersweet to see them swallow that pill and figure out what they need to do next. It was beautiful to see the ways that this couple wanted a kid of their own, but couldn't biologically. The way they are working together to have their own kid was beautiful. Then this film just gets so much better when the biological mom of the kid gets introduced, my god. With Hikari's story arch, the audience arguably might side with Hikari more than the parents, just because of everything that Hikari went through up until she had to give up the baby. You really feel for Hikari and everything that she has been through on her journey up until this point. Her flashbacks were the best part of the film, just by how they humanize her and build her character. When Hikari leaves her home to stay with the adoption agency, a problem gets brought to light in a subtle and powerful way. Two of the other mothers in the house talked about why they're there and couldn't have a kid. They both got coerced into joining a brothel against their will, and they talk about how they were taken advantage of. This brought awareness to sex trafficking problems in Japan and how there are many victims out there. This was executed very well by Kawase. The overall film was mostly told through these flashbacks and it somehow felt so seemless. The pacing was absolutely incredible as well. You couldn't tell that this film was 2.5 hours long.
