Shigatsu no Nagai Yume
2017 / 93m - Japan
Drama, Romance
3.5*/5.0*
Summer Blooms poster

Watches

March 01, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

Sweet and compact romantic drama. The kind of film Japan does well, but also the kind of film that feels a little stuck in its own clichés. There are no surprises here, all the dramatic beats are predictable and even the styling is by the numbers. The execution is on point though, and that's what matters the most.

The story revolves around a young woman who appears stuck in her life. It's not that she's unhappy, but her professional and romantic aspirations appear to have been put on hold indefinitely. There's some light trauma in her past that caused this situation, which is slowly revealed throughout the course of the film.

I'm quite fond of these films, so I didn't really mind how predictable everything turned out to be. The cinematography is nice, with several striking moments, the soundtrack pleasant without being overbearing and the performances are endearing. A very solid drama that has no obvious faults, except that it doesn't really set itself apart from its peers.