In this semi-feature film, Ayano plays a nameless secretary in her mid-twenties. Sexually repressed, she finds the world of men to be of constant concern, as she creates a sense of dread, which is highlighted by various nude magazines and sexual interactions she sees happening among her peers. Ayano, feeling pressure from her mom to be more sexually promiscuous, withdraws from the world, choosing a quite introverted lifestyle. However, with a new neighbor moving in next door, taking in suitors at all hours, our protagonist becomes confronted with her reservations towards sex.
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At first, our lead is upset by her new neighbor, another nameless character played by Asami. The constant banging coming from the apartment next door starts as a frustrating distraction, which, additionally, leads to curiosity. One night, while the neighbor is walking one of her guests to grab a taxi, our protagonist sneaks into her house to find a place dedicated to sex. Finding herself trapped in the apartment as her neighbor returns, Ayano's character soon finds herself confronted and having to face her hidden sexual desires.
The film is bright and visually sharp, with a commercial feel to it, in a trait that is actually benefitted by the short run time of the production, since it would be financially difficult to retain this level of visuals on a full feature. The score also compliments the movie well, being mostly upbeat, and giving the film a semi-comedic tone, instead of a more somber soundtrack, which could have ruined the upbeat atmosphere implemented through the visuals.
Both Ayano and Asami give solid performances as polar opposites in their views on sexuality. Ayano particularly, shines, as she is easily overcome by even the slightest hint of sexual acts, but is able to convincingly turn it around at a point in the film where she becomes more confident and adamant, and the sane one in the overly erotic world displayed in the film. All the supporting cast play their roles well, with no one standing out or bringing down the production. Although only heard over the phone, the mother of the lead character injects a lot of humor into the production with her crude analogies and wishes for her daughter's future, in a small, but well written part.
“New Neighbour” kept me intrigued throughout, with a great visual style and music score. It is possible it could have been extended upon to become a feature-length film and still be enjoyable, given the core content. However, it works so well as a short that I don't think an expansion it would have benefited the production. The movie is basic but conceptually sound. The ending is pretty abrupt, but it was well executed and caught me off guard, resulting in a memorable sequence.
It is hard to really place it under one genre, since one could argue it has elements of horror and exploitation, but to label it as one or the other would be a disservice. There is a lot of things to charm the viewer in this semi-feature, that should make it appealing to a greater audience while still pleasing fans of the aforementioned genres.
