Himizu is nothing short of a tragic drama. Our main character, Simadu, lives in a violent and dismal reality. He is neglected and physically abuse by his self serving parents and while his father comes and goes his mother eventually abandons him. A female classmate, Keiko, comes from a difficult environment of her own but has a major crush on Simadu and wants to help him. Their situations are extremely volatile yet Keiko has hope for the future and will not let Simadu let his circumstances deter him from believing he can dream and make plans for a future that will be far removed from where they currently are. (Not sure if I spelled those names right so forgive any mistake.)

This was just a bleak, depressing and straight up sad film. I know that our cultures are different but I can say that there were things happening in full view of others that I just couldn't believe. I just couldn't be a spectator to someone abusing a child but it seemed like others thought it best to mind their own business. Whew! It was rough for me to watch that. I was ready to open a can on some of these adult bullies and the by-standards who failed to step in.

I don't think it would be a stretch to say that this isn't going to be a film for everyone. It is a bit long and it felt tedious at times. The two lead actors did a great job with their roles. It also seemed to be filmed well but I noticed some audio issues and I understand that it may have simply been a problem with the media I chose to use.

I didn't love this but I didn't hate it either. The story was super dark and not as balanced as I would've like to have seen. It served me well for a night on the couch but it's not going to be a film that I watch again. If you chose to watch it just be prepared for a slow and dark drama.

This one - like The Land of Hope, for example - is a difficult one. Why? Because if it was from the hands of some famous Chinese, Japanese and mainly Korean directors, it would be praised as a masterpiece, but as it comes from Sono, it's different from what people expect and divide opinions.

It's a fantastic film, a great exercise of growing up with all the adversities against you, showing us how dysfunctional families can affect our future, even if we have dreams and want to fight for your dreams - this affects both of the main characters, but we also see how each of them react differently to different circumstances, just like in real life.

I expected that, by now, most people should have already know that there isn't a single Sion Sono. I am lucky to love all of them. To love the crazy Sono (who reminds sometimes Miike, but funnier and more consistent) and love the introspective Sono (sharing a lot with the Korean new wave, or even with some Chinese and Japanese dramas from the 80s/90s). But if you just love the crazy Sono, you should know that this other Sono is not for you. You can't be expecting the same on this type of movies.

I will mention again The Land of Hope to explore how Sono, one more time, can show us not only the family drama, but also, at the same time, criticise some aspects of the Japanese society, as, per example, how the society treats the people who lost everything (there is a great subplot about this with a fantastic interpretation by the veteran Tetsu Watanabe) or how schools can be cruel to a lot of young people.

Overall, I am one of the few who, in fact, prefers The Land of Hope - the balance between the elderly couple, the land, and the young couples was perfect, for me - but I think that Himizu should be much more praised than it is.

I watched "Himizu" blinded by opinions, not knowing about the manga and with just a little information about the story. I believe cinema is a world language that doesn't known barriers and some films are universal stories we can all easily relay on. The little I read about it was convincing enough to make me watch this out of curiosity just to see how good it could be. It turned out this movie was a frustrating and pointless experience, and reading the positive reviews about it didn't make it better. The experience is confusing, long and with some bits and pieces that are rewarding but not great enough to make it a good film.

The background of it all it's interesting. After the Fukushima disaster, the conflicted teenager Sumida (Shôta Sometani) doesn't feel life is worth living or so much rewarding after the disaster, deeply thinking that what he has and the place where he lives and works it's the only possible outcome for his life, and he accepts it with pride of being mediocre. He has lots of encouraging people next to him, who think he'll have a great future outside of the house boat renting place of his mom, at the same time his parents are distant: the father only comes to bash and assault him and the mother leaves after a while.

The other distant figure is Keiko (Fumi Nikaidô), a girl who's deeply in love with him but he doesn't want anything with her, and despite pushing her to stay away she keeps coming back insisting in knowing him better. In several erratic behavior sequences, the movie keeps pushing us too hard in believing this relationship up until the moment it actually works out, but before that they push each other, they slap each other and are ruthless to one another. It's insane.

While dealing with his personal conflicts, later on Sumida discovers that his father is owing money to dangerous people, all of whom are aggressive to the boy who wishes to kill them all and that's where a rampage of murderous desire will inflict after killing his own father. Those are moments of twisted violence with Sumida getting beaten several times again and again. Not only him, but also his best friend, a much older man, gets beaten in cowardly ways.

So here's a story full of melancholy and sadness that tries to present a deep and meaningful work about loneliness and the troubles of a youth facing troubles in the aftermath of a terrible real tragedy. I've seen better than this. Here, all I could think about the characters way of expressing themselves and acting with others was that they were all crazy in the head and that maybe the Fukushima radiation had affected more than the tsunami that left visible scars and desolation.

Nothing was credible and dreams and fantasies all get confused when mixed with reality. I felt lost whenever Sumida had his visions of violence, not knowing exactly if he was dreaming or was it real (it takes some time to actually find out what's real or not).

The parts involving Sumida's friend dealing with the mobsters was interesting; and the heavy use of classical music in the score was amazing even though the images weren't so fulfilling, almost pretentious. I won't say the film was badly acted, the youngsters have the best and the wildest parts but it's a waste they're not in a better project. They're wild and free to make anything here but most of their acts are pointless (except for the "sorrow stones" which Keiko holds her everytime she's mad with Sumida and she keeps on promising when her pockets get filled she'll throw at him - and she does.

I was expecting for more relatable characters who care for each other despite the world they live in being doomed and chaotic. Instead, I was rewarded with a girl forcing herself to love and help a troubled and careless boy who doesn't know where is going with his life - and when he reached some enlightnement I wasn't convinced that everything worked so simple for both of them, and that love was the ultimate force that drove them back to sanity (maybe we accept that kind of thing in melodramas or your typical Hollywood film). The drama was poor, the humored moments weren't funny and almost nothing works. It's too messy.

Thumbs down for this. 4/10.