All Around Us
Dir Ryosuke Hashiguchi w/ Tae Kimura, Lily Franky. 140 min. Contemporary World Cinema.
BY Damian Rogers
September 02, 2008 21:09
This quiet film takes its time as it slowly tracks the deepening bond between young husband Kanao and his wife Shoko as they move past the loss of their infant daughter and eventually forge the kind of supportive relationship neither experienced in their respective families. Kanao (Franky) accepts a job as a courtroom sketch artist and the sensational murder trials — drawn from actual cases in Japan during the ’90s — work as a point of contrast to the main narrative, illustrating literally the scope of emptiness and alienation among human beings at their worst. The story rewards patience with a well-drawn portrait of earned intimacy, forgiveness and healing. Franky, well known in Japan as a writer, musician and illustrator, proves a charismatic and subtly expressive lead in his major film debut.
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