First Love

The type of film Tsutsumi can direct with his eyes closed. It's basic movie theater fare, a courtroom drama with mystery and thriller elements, stretched out to hit that 2 hour mark. It's a perfectly fine and entertaining story, but it's not a film you're bound to remember once the end credits start rolling.

A young girl murders her father in cold blood and admits to her crime. Her trial becomes a media sensation, which attracts a psychologist who wants to write a book about the case. She visits the young girl in prison and slowly but surely, the true nature of the crime reveals itself.

The cinematography is polished, performances are decent and the pacing is on point. First Love is a decent flick, but also a film that never surprises, never colors outside the lines. Tsutsumi has made quite a few of these films in his career, and they're perfectly fine filler, but I wish he'd challenge himself a bit more.