If you are looking for a room in the coastal town of Onomichi, you better not check in at the Ohashi apartments. Except if you want your very own meet-and-greet with J-Pop Idol Shiori Kubo, who happens to play the ghost trapped inside room 101 in Natsuki Takahashi's “A Girl in My Room”.
A Girl in My Room is streaming as part of JFF+ Independent Cinema
Based on the popular manga by Chugaku Yamamoto, the story revolves around the heartbroken Yohei, who gets dumped by his girlfriend and is left behind in the former love nest. Out of nowhere, a curious girl ghost appears and wants to experience a feeling she never felt during her life as a human, love. Yohei is annoyed by her curiosity and even tries to exorcise her, but slowly realises that she is more human than he thought.
The fantasy romantic comedy was filmed on location in the filmmaking town of Onomichi, known for Ozu's “Tokyo Story” (1953) and the birthplace of director Nobuhiko Obayashi (“School in Crosshairs”, 1981). “A Girl in My Room” is more than just a vehicle film for lead actress Shiori Kubo, who is famous for being part of the idol group Nogizaka46. Together with Riku Hagiwara (“Assassination Classroom”, 2015), she creates a wonderful and funny chemistry. Refreshing and with a lot of subtle charm, the couple slowly finds common ground and even a little bit more.
Check also this interview
Rina Ono (“On the Edge of their Seats”, 2020) plays Yohei's colleague and temporarily takes the part of the second love interest. The plot quickly disbands this idea and refocuses on the ghost-human relationship. Also notable is the role of the property manager portrayed by Shohei Uno (“37 Seconds”, 2019). His screen time may be limited, but his quirky character adds just the right amount of weirdness to a storyline that temps to fall for the cliches of the genre.
Similar to Kenji Katagiri's “Room Laundering”, Natsuki Takahashi heavily uses the comical effect of the unexpected intruder and makes a good effort to produce abstruse moments that raise a smile from time to time. The up-and-coming director, who became the youngest recipient of the Isan Studio Film Festival Screenplay Award, keeps in line with the pace and knows how to use the camera. At least until the last twenty minutes. Because after a romantic reveal, the film slams on the breaks and is on the line of becoming a failure. Luckily, Takahashi makes a turnaround and finishes the script with a forgiving and satisfying finale.
This results in an entertaining 90-minute film that exceeds the expectations provoked by the cheesy movie poster. Also, Takahashi takes us on a nice round-trip through the pictorial scenery of Onomichi, introducing the audience to local specialties and giving insight into a town that breathes cinema to the fullest. So even if “A Girl in My Room” could not win you over, at least it gave you some inspiration for your next Japan itinerary.
