There are many things that I hated in the story line, which is the reason I gave it low ratings. However, the cinematography was great. The actors, director and d.o.p did a great job

Great acting all round, especially Masaki Suda in a challenging role that could be grating or sentimental if dialed too high or too low. The story, however, does not stretch to cover contemporary social concerns, and the characters seem to mope around in a melodrama detached from present-day Japan. Whatever Kore-eda manages to capture in Shoplifters seems to evade Mipo O here. The writing, also, relies on too many contrived set ups. Tatsuo is wallowing in self-pity after causing an accident at work, and avoiding everyone - but we are supposed to believe he obsequiously goes home to have dinner with the family of a mentally diminished man he bumped into at pachinko? Chinatsu is street smart and world weary, but she falls instantly in love with the stranger who follows her brother into her living room? The same lazy contrivance sees Tatsuo wander into the very bar where Chinatsu is turning tricks. (And he always manages to leave without paying...). There is something in this story, but it is under the surface, and ultimately under-realized. Lots of good elements, but it doesn't quite gel.

I caught this film at the recent Japanese Film Festival in Dublin - although not intentional, it is in many ways very similar to the last Asian film I've seen at a festival - the Korean film 'A Girl at My door' (Dohee-ya) - both films following the lives of somewhat wounded people stranded in small, fading rural towns, both films by young female directors, and both with a somewhat arbitrary sprinkling of sexual dysfunction to add a bit of perversity to otherwise straightforward dramas.

The film first focuses on Tatsuo, who seems to be drifting randomly through life, uninterested in anything but Pachinko and drinking. We learn quickly he seems to be suffering some form of PTMS after witnessing a friend dying in an accident at the quarry he works. He is drawn reluctantly into the life of somewhat dim-witted but cheerful and extrovert Tajuki, who lives in poverty with his mother, stroke crippled father, and sister, Chinatsu. Inevitably, Chinatsu and Tatsuo exchange meaningful glances, but seem unable to convert this attraction into actual conversation.

Chinatsu, it emerges, is a part time prostitute and occasional lover of a local corrupt businessman, and if not quite as traumatized as Tatsuo, seems beaten down by life and seems to have largely given up hope of a life for herself. She immediately dumps her businessman lover as she senses something about Tatsuo that gives her some hope.

The film is largely a character study of these broken characters, focusing on their lives. The story does stray into somewhat more perverse territory in what seems an unnecessary attempt to make it stand out - I don't think a subplot about the stricken fathers sexual priapism adds much to the film. After what seems a conventional happy ending, the film then gears up into more melodramatic territory, with a suitably ambiguous (and beautifully shot) ending.

At times I thought the film lacked the courage of its own convictions, relying on shock tactics rather than having faith in the integrity of the characters and how much the viewer cares about them. The three leads are very good and attractive, and quite believable characters. Some of the lesser parts though are not so well acted or written. I did find it gripping, and quite moving at the end - definitely a promising step up for the film makers - I'll certainly be looking out for her next film.