Any Crybabies Around?

A decent but rather middle-of-the-road Japanese drama. Sato is a tad lazy and relies too much on basic drama, with so many similar films around though there's simply not enough here to make the film stand out from the crowd. Makes you wonder why this film was chosen for international distribution over a slew of better options.

The Namahage festival is a festival held in a small, rural village. It's their single claim to fame, but when a local man appears naked on television during coverage of the festival their reputation is tarnished. Unable to continue his life in the town, the man flees to Tokyo, leaving his wife and newborn daughter behind.

The performances are decent but not spectacular, the cinematography basic, and the soundtrack too generic to make an impact. The drama itself is proper and there are some touching moments, but it's nothing I hadn't seen before. Not a bad film, just not memorable or notable in a sea of Japanese dramas.