天城越え▫️1998 ▫️Info

Being a Nino fan, I was very excited to finally watch his first movie. As he was only 15 here, I felt quite concerned for him considering the heavy topics that were handled in this film. I know after debuting with Arashi he has regularly had to face difficult and heavy scenarios and that’s one of the things I appreciate about them as a group. I feel possibly it’s also one of the reasons he became such a strong actor–part of it is certainly his natural talent and another aspect may be gaining experience from challenges along the way.

This film is based on a short story of the same name by Seicho Matsumoto from 1959 and there have been a few other film adaptations. I love the setting and ambience: 1920s summer in Japan. Even though I obviously don’t have any personal nostalgia for the era, the mood pulls you into a wistful reminiscence. I always enjoy seeing the sets and costumes of period pieces, and while some might find certain details anachronistic, I tend to get swept into the bigger picture and overall atmosphere.

The sweat is palpable the whole time, which only made the drama more intense. This movie gave a very particular feeling: a sort of aimless wandering and hazy confusion which corresponded with the experiences of the characters. I think most people who have watched any of Nino’s work know he is fantastic at portraying different emotions, especially serious and painful ones. Despite it being an early role, his talent was still fully on display. One of the scenes where he was hiding was so intense that I think I held my breath the whole time.

Although I figured out the twist before it was revealed, I wasn’t 100% certain so I still felt the excitement of the story unfolding. I was really rooting for the characters. There is always a tension and excitement when injustice comes into play and I got swept up in the drama of it all. Regret or unfulfilled desires was also a well portrayed theme that left an impression on me.

I enjoyed this movie and I think it is a classic tale that was well crafted, but it’s not something I would likely revisit unless I wanted to see tiny bald Nino.