Closed Ward (2019)

Family of Strangers

The movie is set in a psychiatric ward with each of the character living with a complicated past, that goes without saying, for our main characters: Hide (Shofukutei Tsurube), Chu (Ayano Gou), and Yuki (Komatsu Nana).

I watched without any expectations having only seen the trailer before when it first came out. I just thought that given the whole atmosphere, the show was bound to be emotional and heartbreaking.

After watching the whole thing (in case you still haven't, it is available on HBO GO), the movie has A LOT of trigger warning (Murder, Sexual assault, and so on). I can't say whether I liked the film or not, but it's human touch in the film will draw you in just like most Japanese films or dramas. Rather than a sympathetic view, it is a film about moving forward and living ahead despite everything in the past, as Chu said: "Things happen to everyone."

The film does live up to its heartwarming English title of "Family of Strangers". Each of the characters were depicted as a nobody in their society and this very ward itself has become a "home" to them. They can continue to live and has found friendship among one another despite who they were; the very depiction of that is very heartwarming.

Overall, it is a movie that has a soul. I can say that Ayano Gou has provided us another outstanding performance as his character this time.

I do recommend to watch this but be warned of the trigger warning.

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