missraze First of all I am quite sentimental about this film because its ending credit theme song "Sa Iko/Let's Go" introduced me to Wyolica, the singer of the uplifting record! The song is one of my favourites, not even just a fave of Japanese songs. But a favourite on my general list. I recommend the song at least. It was a gem of a gift after sitting through this film, which isn't bad at all actually; I've downloaded and just may watch again right now.Anyway it's about a seemingly 20-something woman who crushes on her neighbour, a struggling bohemian type rocker, a nearby casanova she mysteriously lusts after. Well obviously she's shy. He is a regular at the shop where she works and she doesn't speak. He walks by her going upstairs or down the veranda, says hi apathetically, and she doesn't speak. She does however go through his trash. I am relieved I find this gross because I do find little harm in a little stalking lol But I also understand the trash thing. The ending scene where she finally trashes his trash as Wyolica starts singing about doing just that and basically enjoying life, don't get down about failures, and sa iko/let's go. Made me cry. I too am a heartbroken 20-something who even had my horoscope tell me to throw away my ex's photo, don't hold onto items he owns, and MOVE ON!Anyway the film was very nice to watch, the actress is adorable but her acting, at least in this film: only one thing annoyed me and that was the tearless gasping sob toward the end of the film. Maybe if tears came down and it didn't look like she was mocking having to cry I would've tolerated it. However I understand perfectly well why the character would want to cry, I just didn't like the actress's crying. The film was quiet, in that serious way indie films will be, particularly Japanese films, which are sometimes confused/accused for being tedious. People might be used to having plots spoonfed to them, and don't want to sit through long scenes without dialogue. I however fancy the impressionistic style of silently following the character for long stretches of time. Most of the film honestly is her digging through trash and making the shrine in her room, reading his mail to herself, trying on his old clothes, being bored at work, being alone at night, however that serves its purpose. It's about a lonely part time worker who obsesses over a no-good guy by looking through his trash. It could've been more lively but the mood is also quite lonely and stolid as the character is, so. It'll have long scenes of her just eating something, reading something, running, swinging in a playground, crying, etc. I like it though.

lost-in-limbo A waitress Miyuki becomes obsessed with a scruffy rock 'n' roll musician Yoshinori that lives in her apartment building. So she scrummage's through his garbage to learn more about him, as she's to shy to introduce her self or to start a conversation. While going through his garbage, she decides keep certain pieces to create a shrine for him in her apartment.Well, this is definitely one quirky and direct film. This is no love story, but actually a bizarre and sometimes bleak tale of adoration. Miyuki would head back home after work and get his garbage and go through it, every night. So it becomes some sort of chore, where she would collect items such as cigarettes butts, Marlboros boxes, cereal boxes, bottles and a worn out shirt. Though, she also would smoke the same cigarettes he did, used the same shampoo and cut pictures of him and put them next to pictures of her or vice versa. As well as Confronting his ex-girlfriend and then trying to be like the woman of his dreams.The story does have some charm to it, with some intriguing and spirited characters thrown into the mix. Especially at the café that Miyuki works at. Though, the actual story started to wore thin or drag the further the along it went. At times some of the sub-plots kind of derailed the main story and they weren't terribly engaging.It started to get tediously repetitious after a while. With to many scenes that drag into nothingness and dwell on empty scenes, where pretty camera work was used. The editing felt as if it could have been far sharper. The ending or last 20mins just felt over-long and out of place. My interest started to fade when she gets the courage to face him and when she learns that he knew about her habit of going through his garbage. The film just came across as feeling longer than it was.The film felt like it was basically shot on a hand held camera, with some scenes coming across like a documentary style and having a TV movie feel. The soundtrack was pretty reasonable and the director captures the sombre undertone of urban life in Tokyo.The leads are fair. Mami Nakamura as the obsessed Miyuki gives such a moody performance and in doing so it's perfect in capturing the fixation of her character. Ignoring the outside world, such as the guy in the café that tries to get her interest. Kazuma Suzuki as the admirably cool Yoshinori, is not bad as the unknown figure we learn more about through Miyuki.Though, it's not terrible, but overall the premise of the film ended up sounding more interesting than it actually was.

followingfleet I actually found this movie fascinating. It had nice shots and the lead actress was captivating. The protagonist showed sanity in her insane little world. The plot wasn't in the foreground here, it was more an exploration of character, and i couldn't stop watching it. There were a few frustrations, mostly to do with the plot, but it made up for all that with the use of the cute lead. It has a really made-at-home sort of look which i usually don't go for, but it worked. Perhaps some of the shots went on a minute too long, but the point got through. The ending was a little slow to deliver but the movie as a whole was still interesting and worth a watch. Maybe just for those with patience.

d0ppelganger The title of the movie comes from the fact that the lead female character Miyuki, played by the delightful Mami Nakamura, goes through garbage. Not just general garbage, but that of Yoshinori, a musician/rock star played by Kazuma Suzuki.Miyuki works as a waitress in a small cafe and lives in a tiny apartment, a very dead end for a very young woman like herself. Her only delight in life comes from having a *huge* crush on Yoshinori living in the same building. She is too timid to actually strike up a conversation with him, so she resorts to going through his garbage looking for mementos and insights to the man. She is a scavenger and a stalker.An interesting twist of this film is that there is another stalker. A male patron to her cafe has a crush on Miyuki. Unlike her this person is a much more vocal stalker, he actually asks her out on strange dates. What makes him a stalker is that he wouldn't take 'no' as an answer.As the stage is set, the film investigates Miyuki's strange world. There are quite a few twists and turns related to the thing she finds in the garbage and to her own stalker. The most intelligent part of the film, from the perspective of the screenplay, directing and the acting, is on her reactions to all those. The loneliness of modern life (or towards modern Japan in particular?), lust and shame find concrete manifestation in Mami Nakamura. You have to see to believe it.