Watches
June 23, 2020
A very pleasant little drama. A bit predictable maybe, as it doesn't take long to figure out where Yaguchi is heading with this one, but the road there is well worth taking. I may have been a little weary at first, Yaguchi's earlier films never really appealed to me, but it seems that he's come a long way since then.
A city boy takes a leap of chance and goes off on a one-year course to become a lumberjack. He isn't really cut out for the job and when he ends up lodging with some boorish mountain folk, it doesn't look like he'll be sitting out his training. But, as is always the case in these films, people slowly learn to respect each other etc etc.
It's one of those films that would never work in real life for me, but is still invigorating to experience on film. The amazing setting has a big part in that, the overall solid performances of the cast only add to that. The direction is nice, but nothing too out of the ordinary. If you can appreciate films like Breathe In, Breathe Out or Only Yesterday, this is a fine recommend.