UMI GA KIKOERU

DESCRIPTION

CAST

REVIEWS

• 

  TapiaTG

  70/100
  A contained, minimalist, yet captivating drama. A simple and maybe an unfortunate one, but a worthy watch.

  My little odyssey at the time of touring the filmography of the Studio Ghibli officially began 5 days ago, with Hotaru no Haka being the starting point. If I'm being honest, I've rarely felt as excited about a movie as I have felt with these. Each new movie made me feel like the "me" of over a decade ago, that little boy going to the cinema for the first time to watch Finding Nemo. But it's logical, isn't it? The reputation of the Japanese studio speaks for itself and its productions have a special charm, a different flavor from, say, Pixar works, but the same magic. Anyway, enough with the introduction.
  I have to say that this is my sixth attempt at writing a review about a Ghibli production, but for various reasons, with my previous attempts I could not deliver a comment effective enough to be happy with and therefore, publish it. This time, however, seeing that I have the advantage that nobody has made a review of this movie, (something that makes things easier for me), I will not have second thoughts. So, I hope I am capable to transmit something interesting through this text.
  Let's focus, the premise of Uma Ga Kikoeru is relatively simple: A familiar face in a train station makes Taku, our protagonist, relive the memories of his time in high school. At that time, Rikako, a teenage girl who'd recently arrived from Tokyo, took the whole class of Taku by surprise and was able to catch both his and his friend Yutaka attention.
  Who would have guessed it? The parents of such fantastic (in a magical way) works as Tonari no Totoro decided to do a small and wistful drama about a love triangle. Based on this premise, the events of the film are developed more like a Slice of Life than a full-fledged drama. And it is true that, perhaps in other hands, this movie could have been a disaster. But, luckily, it is not. It may lack the scope or charm that other productions of the studio can boast of having and its narrative philosophy is closer to that of Omohide poro poro (which can restrict it to a niche), but that does not make it a bad movie under any circumstance, just an unfortunate one, let's say. A good one surrounded by an enviroment of excellence. Even so, it's worthwhile to see what Ghibli can do with a premise so simple, contained and grounded such as this.
  Umi Ga Kikoeru is a fairly modest film, even minimalist and subtle in certain occasions. And that translates to the treatment of its conflicts and its whole narrative arc. It ends up delivering a very elegant story within a genre populated by cheap drama and unnecessary conflicts. And it is there in that simplicity where it shines with more strength, through silence and the small connections between its characters. And it's true that this can depict the film as a more monotonous and uneventful one, but it doesn't need major events, twists and contrivances. Its slower pace nourishes the film with a tinge of nostalgia and melancholy that resonates, even more than an overreaction for the sake of being dramatic. Honestly, it's a relief and it feels fresh.
  It all comes down to this, Umi Ga Kikoeru is a good movie. It's a small human story about the emotions in adolescence, about friendship, love and longing. It is true that some of its aspects don't feel so good nowadays, such as their representation of women (especially coming from Ghibli, having the works of Miyazaki so many strong female characters) or a small violent exchange between Taku and Rikako that left me with a bitter taste. Even the personality of the latter that for me feels like that of a teenager at times charming, at others vulnerable and at others unpleasant, can be seen as obnoxious by many.
  The title of this film is quite an accurate analogy for the state of its main cast. This is a warm, minimalist film, yes, but a captivating one. It may not reach the greatness of Omohide poro poro, but it is more than a worthy companion. It's nostalgic and there are very close and relatable moments in it, moments that show how good can Studio Ghibli be when it comes to narrating a simpler and more contained drama.
  Thanks for reading and allow me to apologize for my English. It's not my mother tongue.

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• 

  heychrisfox

  55/100
  It's like "Norwegian Wood," except less sad and depressing, and more inconsequential.

  I love the vibe and the animation of this film. It's exceptional of acting as a time capsule, really capturing that 80s vibe from Japan. And the animation in particular is fantastic. That might sound silly, to praise a Studio Ghibli film for its animation. But given that this is not a "main-line" Ghibli film, one that is so often forgotten, the clear talent for animation is not to be under-reported.

  Unfortunately, that's the end of the praise. The plot is straight-up boring. Guy liked a girl, and there was lots of drama, and then FEELINGS. That summarizes the whole film. Most of the actual scenes are inconsequential, and I found myself delighting from the animation while being bored out of my mind. This says nothing to the fact that, in general, the rest of the film doesn't hold up to its backbone of fantastic animation. The soundtrack is nostalgic but forgettable.

  The acting is good, but the screenplay is a bit stiff and doesn't really do anything. It meanders about for awhile, and tries to convince the viewer that they're watching something deep and impactful. To bring up the earlier mentioned piece of media, "Norwegian Wood," this is a story that succeeds based on its density. It's a character study, while also being a romance, while also being this time-capsule, nostalgic experience. But it succeeds in these regards because it draws from so many different sources in its storytelling; it has more things to say, and says them in this stubborn, plodding, dense way that is typical of Murakami as an author. Ocean Waves, to contrast, seems to have the same ideas but has no idea how to create that same density. As a result, the film feels more vacuous. Scenes occur, and it seems to have no other point than to continue the plot, whereas the enjoyment in a romantic drama is not how the plot ends, but the juicy bits within the middle.

  The larger problem is that although the film could do interesting things with its romantic premise, it never really rises to the occasion. Many other films can introduce and conclude a romantic subarc with more potential than Ocean Waves as an entire film, and do it within an 1/8th of the time. It's as if Ocean Waves is a bit confused on how it wants to present itself, and what it's trying to say with its romance. This makes the film feel quite vacuous and empty. There are so many scenes you can watch and then think, "Why do I care?" And often times, there simply isn't an answer to even such a fundamental question. Why do I care? The film doesn't seem concerned with that question; it just has its message to get out to the world, like a drive-by shooting.

  In the end, it's hard to feel endeared to the characters in this film. And when the whole appeal of a romantic drama is the interactions of the main character, all that's left is the joyful, beautiful animation. And that's sadly not enough to really recommend this film unless you really just want to watch everything that Studio Ghibli has made.

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• 

  toastaro

  70/100
  challenges what a movie can be. i know every1 wanted this 2 b gay but its not :( but it has great acting so watch it :)

  this movie is a slow paced slice of life romance riddled with subtle acting moments. it's told in vignettes of interactions between the two main high schoolers, and truly feels like young stupid children who are either bad at communicating and or extremely selfish, fucking each other over repeatedly, which i don't mind. i think the point of it is to evoke that sense of confusion many of us felt when we had romantic feelings toward someone who also really annoyed us. the dialogue is for the most part, really believable for a few high schoolers that don't know how to synthesize their emotions yet.

  this movie has an absolutely gorgeous soundtrack. really quite playful and transient, just like high school is. the visuals are slow and feel wonderfully summery.

  i know a lot of people watched this movie and thought it was going to be gay, and i understand why. it starts off where you see the main boy character would do anything for his boy bff, and sows the seeds of jealousy when the bff boy char shows interest in the main girl. but look..... there's literally no screen time from that bff boy for the rest of the entire movie up until the very VERY end. while i agree it could have been a fantastic queer film, and probably way more interesting as one, that would require writing a WHOLE NEW SCRIPT where that character is actually in it. so, that's not what this is. i would argue its a het romance with queer undertones, as in the main character could definitely be queer, but it's ultimately not about that.

  its more about the confusion of being jealous and annoyed that your bff is smitten with a rude af girl, then interacting w her when she happens to be vulnerable repeatedly, being frustrated at yourself for falling for her, being unsure of bc of bff who hasnt been on screen for ages still likes her, being an asshole to EVERYONE involved, and then coming to terms with your feelings.

  that's a lot of thoughts on a film ive rated a 70 but i rated it "so low" because i do wish the main character was a bit more open and i dont feel like we got full clarity in his arc by the end bc of it. i wanted to see just a bit more clearly when he fell for the girl. i also feel its not quite a movie, its like youre watching a bunch of OVAs in a row (more on this in a sec). but i would still recommend it to friends with patience and who want to watch something that reminds them of being young and confused.

  overall still a super solid piece :-) i like it when movies challenge the idea of what a movie really can be, and this definitely does that. because in the end, who says a movie cant just be a collection of experiences? who says the love interest has to be a likeable person? who says the main character has to be charismatic? i like that it tells a story about imperfect kids figuring their shit out.

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