Over the Fence (2016)

Lovely dull movie

Not sure how to explain it, but I don't know why I ended up loving the movie. The story itself is boring, the setting is purposely dull, and the characters have a depressing view of the future. The romance couldn't get any more disturbing. Yet, I was glued to the screen and couldn't get enough of the movie and its characters.

The heart of the movie is about characters with baggage looking to start over. Most characters seem jaded from life, yet have a tiny glimmer of hope that things will get better.

I have to say, I loved the direction in this movie. Through muted scenes and gray weather, it manages to bring you to the right mood. Right from the beginning, it sets the tone for you. We start the movie at the vocational school, which introduces most of the characters to us and their personality. I think it says a lot about the movie when you feel as if they are at a prison in the atmosphere of the scene.

The characters were all very flawed, and as I mentioned earlier, I found the romantic relationship disturbing. That doesn't mean I didn't get invested in it, but I would definitely not encourage such a relationship in real life. Starting with Shiraiwa, played masterfully by Odagiri Joe, he is there to start over while contemplating what went wrong in his life. He might seem very humble yet deep down has trouble believing he was wrong. He is very reserved, yet had this sincerity to him. When Satoshi comes into his life, he gets dangerously intrigued by her yet felt the need to resist. I wasn't a fan of satoshi. And the less I liked the character the more I fell in love with Aoi Yu’s performance of the character. She was different from anything I've seen her before, yet owned both the character and the movie. Her character is very explosive, playful, and fun at times, while violent and downright crazy at others. Saying she has baggage is an understatement.

Even though the rest of the cast had lower screen time, it still gave enough focus to each character for us to know them, as well as glimpses from their baggage. From the sales pitcher, to the retiree, to the ex-yakuza, we get a good understanding of their being, and how it relates to the theme of the movie.

It's not easy to recommend this movie because it's the type of movie you either love or hate. Or both. Personally, I loved it.

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