{"id":129128,"date":"2022-05-25T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asianmoviepulse.com\/?p=129128"},"modified":"2022-05-25T10:18:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-25T07:18:44","slug":"film-review-just-the-two-of-us-2020-by-keita-fujimoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asianmoviepulse.com\/2022\/05\/film-review-just-the-two-of-us-2020-by-keita-fujimoto\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Review: Just the Two of Us (2020) by Keita Fujimoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part of a project for students at the Kyoto University of Arts, produced by Kaizo Hayashi, Keita Fujimoto\u2019s debut feature offers a different perspective on the concepts of disability and caretaking, through an approach that is both romantic and realistically pointy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Just the Two of Us” is screening at Nippon Connection<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Set in Kyoto\u2019s Nishijin district, the film revolves around Shunsaku, a man who has been bedridden since a terrible accident took place, leaving him with only his father, elderly Gohei, to take care of him. Gohei has repeatedly tried to bring in caretakers, but Shunsaku\u2019s reaction is always to utter the most obscene things to those women who apply for their job, essentially chasing them away with his words. Gohei eventually discusses his problem in a radio show, which is where Hanae, a blind but very beautiful young woman, hears of it and decides to take up the job, also because finding anything else to do has been impossible until that moment. Despite her frustrations with Shusaku\u2019s ill-nature and verbal abuse, she stays on, and the two eventually start connecting, with the girl becoming part of the family. The problems the two face, however, do not stop, and when his relatives start being involved and a secret Hanae was hiding comes to the fore, everything they have managed is in jeopardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As expected with the particular theme, Keita Fujimoto directs a film that moves rather slowly, essentially mirroring the life of the two protagonists, in a style that definitely takes some getting used to, but also fits the overall aesthetics of the movie. As such, Jun Kuriyagawa and Kan Suzuki\u2019s editing emerges as quite fitting, despite the fact that the lagging that appears in most Japanese productions lately is here once more, particularly close to the end. The prowess also extends to the cinematography, with Futa Takagi creating a bleak visual world, filled with saturated colors, that essentially fits the \u201cperspective\u201d of the two protagonists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The overall story seems a bit far-fetched, but allows Fujimoto to present both a captivating scenario and also to make a number of social comments, mostly revolving around people with incapacities. The stigma these people carry, particularly in a society as the Japanese where people are \u201cjudged\u201d based on what they can offer to their family, company and society, is the most central one here, which is what Shunsaku is experiencing essentially, an acknowledgement that has made him as bitter as his sickness has. The fact that both these incapacitated people find solace to each other, and a reason to face the world, emerges as somewhat romanticized, but Fujimoto takes care of not going overboard with the idealism, realistically exhibiting the issues such a couple would face, even when going for a simple stroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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