I watched Ashita no watashi no tsukurikata (How to Become Myself)
In summary, it's a great film. It deals with the intricacies of the Japanese concept of Honne and Tatemae in the social setting of the two protagonists. You really end up caring the characters as the movie goes on, and would probably wish happy endings for them
If I had anything to criticize it with, it would be that the cinematography was "too japanese". Lots of school settings, waiting in train stations, walking to school, landscape shots near rivers and such. It was probably to impart that the story could have happened in just any Japanese town.
I also watched "Veronika Decides to Die", starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. I think it's an movie with a rather big budget. Loved the book (by Coelho), and the movie is faithful to it despite changing the location to New York. It's definitely worth a watched, especially if you're a depressed person
Quote:Based on a novel by 30-year-old Kaori Mado, How To Become Myself, tells the tale of two girls faced with that typical adolescent choice, fit in or be cast out. Juri portrays the role of the ideal daughter at home and in school, but all she really wants is for her parents to stop fighting. Deep down, she admires her popular primary school classmate Kanako. However, Kanako suddenly becomes the class outcast. Years later in high school and still craving popularity, Kanako begins receiving mysterious emails about a popular girl named Hina. Inspired, she adopts this fake persona. But what happens when the emails stop? At first glance, this seems like another seishun eiga or youth drama. But Jun Ichikawa transcends the clichés associated with this popular film genre and focuses on how two girls struggle to define their individual identities in modern Japanese society.
In summary, it's a great film. It deals with the intricacies of the Japanese concept of Honne and Tatemae in the social setting of the two protagonists. You really end up caring the characters as the movie goes on, and would probably wish happy endings for them
If I had anything to criticize it with, it would be that the cinematography was "too japanese". Lots of school settings, waiting in train stations, walking to school, landscape shots near rivers and such. It was probably to impart that the story could have happened in just any Japanese town.I also watched "Veronika Decides to Die", starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. I think it's an movie with a rather big budget. Loved the book (by Coelho), and the movie is faithful to it despite changing the location to New York. It's definitely worth a watched, especially if you're a depressed person
