[#85] Movie Memo: 'The Song You Left Behind'
Hello from the gaps.
Am I trying to reclaim something I lost, or is this just escapism?
The genre that I, as an older woman, can't help but check out is the 'youth love story'.
To be honest, I'm not that interested in Michieda-kun or Meruru (Meru Nukumi), but I watched this because it's a Miki-directed film. The recent 'Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight' was also good. It was better than I expected, yo.
Director Takahiro Miki's latest work
'The Song You Left Behind'
*If you don't want to know even a little bit about the plot, I'd be happy if you read this after watching.
Synopsis
A love story that reunites Shunsuke Michieda (Naniwa Danshi) of 'Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight' with director Takahiro Miki, based on the novel of the same name by Misaki Ichijo, the author of that work. It depicts a 10-year romance between a man and a woman who are drawn to each other through the time they spend writing songs together, but are tossed about by fate.
Haruto Mizushima, a high school student who keeps his poetry writing a secret and lives a monotonous life, has his secret discovered by his classmate Ayane Tosaka. Although Ayane has a singing voice that captivates listeners, she suffers from 'developmental dyslexia,' which makes it difficult for her to read and write. Haruto, who is asked by Ayane to write lyrics for her, gradually grows closer to her through the time they spend making songs alone in the club room after school, but...
Meru Nukumi, who is co-starring with Michieda for the first time, plays the heroine and performs singing and guitar for the first time after about a year of voice training and guitar lessons. Tomoko Yoshida of 'Let Me Eat Your Pancreas' wrote the screenplay, and Seiji Kameda of 'Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight' and 'Threads' handled the music production.
Director Miki, the 'guarantee of no weird stuff'
Director Miki always delivers flawless direction. The sense of security I have in him is off the charts. There is never a moment where I think, 'Oh, oh, why are you making the actors do that here?'
He zooms in when it counts and uses the appropriate long takes when it counts.
There are no explosions or betrayals. They don't happen, but that's how Director Miki makes it work.
The hidden potential of 'Meruru' beyond just acting
Meruru, or Meru Nukumi, played the role of a singer-songwriter (who is bad at poetry, or rather, cannot write it due to developmental dyslexia).
I knew she was a good actress, but honestly, I thought it would be a tough two hours if her singing was bad... I even gave my partner a mysterious disclaimer beforehand, saying, 'Sorry if the singing is bad.'
...It was a needless worry. She was the type who could sing too, lol.
Of course, I don't think just anyone can do it just because they trained, so she must have talent.
Michieda-kun, who grew up before I knew it
On the other hand, Michieda-kun, in my mind, has a strong impression from when he played Erika Sawajiri's son. I have seen his acting since then, but that is the memory that always comes up.
That's why I can't help but look at him with the eyes of a grandparent, thinking, 'Oh, you've grown so much, you've become quite an adult!' (even though I don't even have children).
It's probably not right to badmouth him in public, but I didn't have the image that he was such a skilled actor (sorry to his fans. I mean, he's a million times better than you!).
But this work is good!
Since he plays a father in the second half of the story, I think it was a role that was a bit of a stretch rather than being true to his age, but there was little sense of discomfort.
In the time I hadn't seen him, he had grown so tall and his acting skills had increased.
Seiji Kameda's music that leaves a mark
The recommended points of this work are not just the acting skills of Meruru and Michieda-kun. As many people in the world have noticed, the power of Kameda-san's music is amazing.
Well, it's repeated over and over in the film... but even setting that aside, the songs stick in your ears.
Actually, I thought he only composed the music, but it turns out he even writes the lyrics. Isn't that too amazing?
No wonder Ringo-chan works with him. It makes sense.
Meruru's transparent voice is layered over his songs, which are dark or refreshing in just the right way. Before I knew it, I found myself watching over the fate of Ayane and Haruto with bated breath.
Don't say, 'The conclusion is obvious from the title,' if you haven't seen it yet, please go to the theater!
It's surely better than you imagine!
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Oh, I also watched two foreign films, one last week and one this week.
Timothée Chalamet's 'Marty Supreme' and Ethan Hawke's 'Blue Moon'.
Both were quite interesting, just as the reputation suggested (though opinions seem to be somewhat divided). But it's hard to put into words, and I think it might not resonate with some people, so I might not write a movie memo for them.
What, you say that's negligence? An older woman is busy too (mostly with eating, lol).
Everyone seems to be watching 'Project Hail Mary'. I love Ryan Gosling, but I'm not interested in sci-fi or space. I'll watch it if I have extra time!
Both Japanese and foreign films are fun in their own way! If you agree, please give me a 'Like'.
I've put them in a magazine, so please read my other movie memos too!
I'm also looking forward to your follows!
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