Film Review: Minori, On The Brink (2019) by Ryutaro Ninomiya

Japanese are known for their politeness. Don't lose your face, don't speak out, assimilate. Character straits and stereotypes that have been promoted ever since. Kamakura born filmmaker Ryutaro Ninomiya (“The Charm of Others” 2012) breaks with that tradition and presents a radical statement in his third feature “Minori, On The Brink”.

“Minori, On The Brink” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020

Can Minori avoid a nervous breakdown? All the people surrounding her, refuse to express their feelings and emotional boundaries. The resulting everyday life is characterized by ruthlessness: Even friends reduce each other to their appearance and shamelessly take advantage of each other. Minori runs against this by attacking ignorance whenever she encounters it, whatever the consequences might be.

Ryutaro Ninomiya is one of the most radical young voices in Japanese cinema. With “Minori, On The Brink”, he takes a resolute and inventive stand against the cinema of complacency and against social stagnation. Scripted by the director himself and produced by Enbu Seminar, the directing and acting school that also made “One Cut of the Dead” (2017), the film takes on the #metoo movement by discussing not only male privilege but the frivolity of our society in general.

Taking place in the coastal town of Kamakura, the severe topic is told in a holiday-like environment. Beaches, waves, cafès are the settings in which we see the protagonists. At first sight, this is just a succession of long takes filled with conversations. As the film continues, however, the viewer is drawn deeper into the cinematic world and is finally totally absorbed. The cinematography by Hidetoshi Shinomiya (“And Your Bird Can Sing” 2018) is shaky and lively. The editing refrains from many cuts and leaves space to the dialogues. This can be exhausting at times, so be prepared for a rather slow pace.

The title character, Minori, is played by Minori Hagiwara. Her acting is fantastic and omnipresent. You can feel her presence in the scenes that she isn't even in. Minori is defined by a harsh defense mechanism. She is outspoken and energetic. She is in conflict with her past, which has something to do with her late parents. There is a hint of abuse by her drunk father in her childhood, but it is not fully explained. The role is very confrontative, but also weak. The friendship between her and Rieko gives account of her twisted state of mind. On the one side, she defends Rieko (Rieko Dote) against a guy who tried to rape her. On the other, she has no plan for her own life and depends on Rieko in many ways. The other cast is also good, but cannot reach the level of Minori.

“Minori, on the Break” is also characterized by an absence of music. There is only the inner sound, which adds up to the authentic atmosphere. Silent moments are filled with the energetic performances of the actors. Ryutaro Ninomiya has a sense for timing and the conversations are a good mixture of accusing, pause, and reaction. The script reveals a deep character development defined by a loss of love and hypocrisy. The element of improvisation is picked up by roleplays in which the individuals emerge into another person to explain certain events that they talk about.

The feature conveys a strong message with a strong lead actress. Both sexes are criticized for their misbehavior, which turns the #metoo critique not into a one-way accusation. Minori is fed up with the superficiality and feels lonely. Due to her childhood, she seems unable to love and has no right place in the world. Minori is a stranger and she does not know why. This is what makes her angry. But “Minori, On the Break” is also a story about female bonding. If you give the two-hour-long movie a chance to bloom you will get rewarded with a long-lasting impression of cinematic art.