One other stunning day in Chicago, and it was one other movie in theaters because of the Chicago Worldwide Movie Competition. I used to be actually fortunate that I snagged a ticket, however on the identical time I used to be a bit nervous that this movie wouldn’t be as effectively attended at earlier Japanese movies. Nonetheless I used to be pleasently shocked at attendance and settled in simply for this one.
Takuya (Koshiyama Keitatsu) is a younger baseball participant in spring-summer, and a hockey participant in fall-winter. After a very tough observe on the ice rink, he watches Sakura (Nakanishi Kiara) training her determine skating routine. He’s completely captivated by her actions. This doesn’t escape the discover of Sakura’s coach, Arakawa (Ikematsu Sosuke). As Takuya continues to clumsily replicate the strikes, Arakawa takes Takuya underneath his wing, and ultimately he pairs Takuya and Sakura up for ice dancing.
In publish watching, no less than for me, My Sunshine is a movie that was very gently thought-provoking about its total message. There wasn’t actually any enormous conflicts or main breaking factors. Only a lifelike depiction of how life works out typically, with a whole lot of nice use of golden hour lighting.
Critically, I couldn’t assist however completely marvel at these golden hour skating scenes. With the rays of sunshine beaming within the ice rink home windows, catching the shadows of the skater, glimmer of blades, and seeing the ice shavings kick up and scatter because the routines continued was very good. A few of the best possible sequences of the movie, and one the place dare I say it I used to be really engraved. Okuyama Hiroshi, the director, really knew what he was doing in these scenes.
It’s additionally attention-grabbing how these scenes had been punctuated with such little dialogue. Trying again on it Takuya’s dialogue was there, marked by his stutter and a few misunderstandings however noticeable. Coach Arakawa by no means as soon as actually gave a lecture, however light steering and easy bit direct communication with all his college students. I used to be completely miffed at how little Sakura, the feminine lead spoke within the movie. But, her dialogue was so hanging that when she spoke it was essential to listen to.
My Sunshine is basically much less concerning the intense dialogue that comes with different sports activities films and extra about studying the room. There’s so many moments the place you get the image simply by seeing what’s occurring fairly then slicing commentary or dialogue heavy confessions. The concept that the story is much less about what is alleged and extra about what was left unsaid and what that suggests is executed so effectively right here.
It was additionally attention-grabbing within the sense of what all of the character dynamics had been and the way they labored out. I feel Coach noticed a little bit of himself in Takuya. Takuya had one thing that was real curiosity in a nonconventional sport for males, admiration or maybe really love for Sakura’s skating. It’s more durable for me to say what Sakura felt since her efficiency and character was so guarded. It was solely in a single sensible second and scene the place all of them got here collectively on the identical web page for that temporary second and all of a sudden…
Which does deliver within the queer lens of the story. It got here from a course I used to be not anticipating however nonetheless actually made for any attention-grabbing watch. It didn’t really feel pressured both, it was naturally integrated and gave the movie a bit extra form and human layers to discover with out feeling like a guidelines. If you happen to’re conversant in Japan and LGBT+ points, it goes down a fairly predictable path that’s nonetheless pure, a bit unhappy however gives room for reflection and contemplation.
The ending took me without warning. It felt in a method, a bit tacked on whereas I believed earlier scenes would have been extra appropriate and clear. It does nonetheless result in an open to interpretation, and has extra prospects for the viewer to ponder what would occur subsequent. Which I believed was actually intriguing.
That is one the place, fairly then having a bunch of particular word total I believed the solid was actually cohesive as an entire. They labored effectively to make the scenes they this film wanted to ship the message it got down to have. Though I do have a passion for Takuya’s good friend – he was very earnest in his supply. Takuya himself, jogged my memory of a former pupil of mine in Japan in a bittersweet feeling however total a constructive route for that ingredient as effectively.
My Sunshine is a movie that I feel most individuals shall be positive skating previous except a specific ingredient actually hooks you in. For me, this was effectively definitely worth the admission value and seeing in theaters.
