benji is the pinnacle of everything i wish i was
i would give an arm a leg to walk into a room and be some kind of light in it, and then have the audacity and confidence to piss all over it and not give a shit
this is a flawless movie of deeply flawed characters that lands every emotional beat just as it should. culkin is a grenade of performance, and eisenberg plays the reserved, placid antithesis of him to perfection
chopin was beautiful
The first half was pretty pathetic, melodramatic teenage drama. Over-the-top for shock value kind of thing. (The wall punching was ridiculous come on man...)
The wind down in the second half is what has earned the two stars I'm giving this. Despite less melodrama in this latter portion of the film, it suffers from a lack of emotional depth and connection towards the remaining characters.
I found myself noticing the colours, set design, and camera more than I was feeling any real emotion. I gasped at the uninspired titular moment, but I can't say I felt much beyond that.
Over-directed, uninspired, messy, good tunes. That's all.
This was equal parts breathtakingly beautiful, immensely charming, heartfelt, and perfectly emotional. One of the most naturally and delightfully human movies I have ever seen.
The fourth wall disruption towards the end of the film after the events of Tiananmen square turned this film into something not only beautiful and mesmerizing, but also something of huge importance.
This is an important film.
Thankyou Obayashi.
