Hirobumi Watanabe has created a cinematic style that can be easily described as trademark. His films are in black and white, are shot in his home county, Tochigi Prefecture, are laconic except for a few moments of extensive monologues, have a weird sense of humor, a very thin storyline, and feature many and lengthy scenes of people walking. “I Am Really Good” follows all those rules, but this time, instead of Watanabe himself, the protagonists are children.
In that style, the film follows the “recipe” by presenting the kids in their respective houses by themselves, the kids walking in the rural area, and the kids interacting briefly with some grown-ups. The scenes that take place in the house feature Watanabe’s social comment, which in this case, is presented through a radio talk show, where a number of experts (?) discuss the financial issues that Japan will face eventually as its population grows older, and how the money made by the current and future generation will not be enough to cover existing pensions.
The three very young children (2 girls and a boy, of whom the one girl seems like a star in the making) take care of the entertainment of the movie, with the way they conduct themselves being quite funny, particularly because they seem not to need grownups to sustain themselves. At the same time, watching a boy and a girl eating together on a table while the radio show features a discussion about modern couples is equally hilarious. Hirobumi Watanabe also plays a part in the movie, as a textbooks salesman who tries to sell his products to the children but refrains from doing so when he realizes their parents are not home. These dialogues are also quite funny, additionally due to their repetition.
The various walking scenes also entail an entertainment factor, both due to the almost dystopian setting (particularly because no one else seems to be present) and the excellent music of Yuji Watanabe, which is reminiscent of French romantic comedies. Hirobumi Watanabe’s own cinematography is minimalist, although there are some very interesting frames, particularly in the scenes with the salesman.
In just over an hour, “I Am Really Good” does not overextend its welcome in any way, while the children and the splashes of humor are entertaining enough to retain interest for the whole duration. Of course, as with almost all films of Watanabe, it is addressed mainly to the viewers that enjoy his particular style of filmmaking.
