Seguindo em Frente é um filme para os pacientes, realizado para quem gosta de observar conflitos familiares em um ritmo lento, situação bem distante da nossa pitoresca agitação latina. Obviamente estamos no Japão, país onde uma família se reunirá para lamentar a perda de um filho há 15 anos. O ritual funciona mais como uma obrigação, momento onde pais e filhos lavam silenciosamente a  roupa suja guardada por anos em um cesto apertado. Entre tantas mágoas a figura de uma criança pode ajudar a dissolver os principais conflitos.

No ínicio do filme acompanhamos a dolorosa ida de Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) à casa dos pais, em sua companhia estão a namorada e o afilhado, personagens prestes a conhecer uma família com diversas feridas não cicatrizadas. Eis um outro constrangimento, o fato de Ryota namorar uma viúva com filho de outro homem não é bem visto por uma sociedade tão presa a antigas tradições quanto a japonesa. Na casa dos pais, a mãe e a irmã de Ryota discursam sobre a chegada da mulher enquanto preparam os principais quitutes da culinária local.

Hirokazu Koreeda cozinha a narrativa em fogo baixo em mais uma homenagem ao cinema do mestre Yasujiro Ozu. A lenta aproximação do patriarca começa a apresentar os piores defeitos de cada integrante da família Yokoyama. A mãe de Ryota não tem papas na língua enquanto o pai, um médico aposentado preocupado com o status do clã é tão fechado quanto o filho, sujeito retraído que sofre com a lembrança do irmão falecido, o principal herdeiro da família. A figura infantil será a única a aproximar Ryota de seu pai, mais do que uma esperança, o filho indesejado da namorada representará o renascimento de uma estrutura quase destruída.

A família Yokoyama conta as horas para se separar, o que seria próximo a um almoço de Domingo vira um lento martirio. A visita ao túmulo do irmão falecido é a última etapa de um encontro triste, onde Ryota omite o próprio desemprego da família. Ninguém quer dar o braço a torcer, é preferível esconder os problemas a discutí-los. Existe uma bela casa mas a base está apodrecida, prestes a ruir. Ao final Ryota lamenta a falta de contato com os pais, as atividades que deixou de realizar com ambos, importante momento de reflexão na obra. Seguindo em Frente parece um caminho cheio de pedras, local por onde saltamos sem solucionar os conflitos da vida.

Talvez o cinema japonês seja o mais adequado para tratar da família com tanta calma. Os problemas parecem os mesmos de qualquer nação mas a forma delicada como passam pela tela ajudam o espectador a respirar e pensar sobre a própria vida. Como o filme vai nos revelar – Muitas vezes é melhor parar antes de seguirmos em frente.

Japāņu bērnu antikino par pārapdzīvotību, kurā māmiņa ievācas īrētā vienistabas dzīvoklī kopā ar četriem bērniem, pie tam sīkie tiek ieviest slepeni, jo namīpašnieks neatbalsta masu tusiņus šaurās platībās. Vieglprātīgais māmuķis mēdz ik pa laikam pazust no pilsētas uz kādu nedēļu ar kārtējo labo cilvēku pie sāniem, līdz kādu dienu nepazūd pavisam. Atvases, no kurām tikai vecākais puika ir skolas vecumā, cīnas vienatnē ar kārtību un tīrību, taču gaidītā darba tikuma uzvaras kā nav, tā nav – būtu tomēr nereāli iedomāties, kā viņi spētu samaksāt par īri, ar laiku tiek atslēgts arī ūdens un elektrība. Skaista, taču ļoti bēdīga filma, it sevišķi tāpēc, ka pēc reāliem notikumiem.

in 2009 martcore says
apm. ņurd.

Un film del 2009, regia di Hirokazu Koreeda, con Jô Odagiri / Bae Du-na / Susumu Terajima / Arata. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico

Una bambola gonfiabile all’insaputa del proprio padrone prende coscienza e si innamora di un timido commesso in un videonoleggio.

Les festivités automnales ont commencé. Avec les feuilles, la pluie,  les échéances, la programmation de l’autre meilleur festival en ville est tombée, pour nous remonter le moral.

Parmi les quelques 250 films à l’affiche au Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, en voici facilement une dizaine qui rallongent officieusement la checklist paikokun:

Europe: Etreintes Brisées d’Almodovar ; La Terre de la Folie du français Luc Moullet ; I Am Not Your Friend de l’hongrois Palfi ; The Happiest Girl in World du Roumain Radu Jude ;  et peut-être d’autres eccentricités genre  Amer …

Japon: The United Red Army ;  The Blood of Rebirth de Toshiaki Toyoda (qu’on suit à la trace depuis Blue Spring).

Le lumineux Still Walking, de ce cher Kore-Eda (Nobody Knows, Air Doll) – et pour lequel un Avis Chronoposté est disponible sur ce site sous le titre Even if You Walk and Walk – vaut bien évidemment sa place dans les salles obscures.

Corée: Mother, le très attendu Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder, Tokyo!)

Philipines: Kinatay, à défaut d’un cuisant thaï.

Proche et Moyen-Orient: The Time That Remains, et No One Knows About Persian Cats.

Amérique du Nord: le canadien Skidlove et l’américain Precious.

Le FNC m’avait habitué à plus de trouvailles asiatiques. Le circuit de Kanikôsen, adapté au cinéma par Sabu, se sera arrêté à New York. Avec une sélection assez charnelle disons, je regrette l’absence de Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, film réalisé par Isabel Coixet dans la ville où on aime se perdre en traduction, mais sur lequel les avis sont mitigés. C’est dommage, car c’était bien ma dernière chance d’en voir des récents sur grand écran.

c'est par là les petits loups!

N’empêche, difficile de bouder ce rendez-vous annuel incontournable. Alors à vos bottes en caoutchouc, et bon cinéma.

! Update : D’autres raisons de se réjouir. C’est par là aussi -> du FNC à Québec.

Et Bonobo sera de la partie lors de la Soirée de la Louve, avec un dj set gratuit. Charmant, merci à lui.

§Retour sur: la dernière édition du Festival des Films du Monde l’a fait remonté dans mon estime. On était présentés, notamment, Be Sure to Share de Sion Sono, Villon’s Wife avec Tadanobu Asano, et The Hovering Blade dont le synopsis fait penser à Sun Scarred (Taiyo no Kizu) de Miike. Et! Une star japonaise connue sous le nom de Eita avait fait le déplacement… Faites qu’il en parle en bien à ses collègues!

Eita, avec réalisatrice et co-acteur pour Dear Doctor, FFM 2009

]]> http://cinecinecine.com/2009/10/02/kuki-ningyo-el-rescate-de-un-concepto/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:26:16 +0000 HGarza http://cinecinecine.com/2009/10/02/kuki-ningyo-el-rescate-de-un-concepto/

Escena de Air Doll

El pensar en una muñeca inflable que adquiere vida es, usualmente, tema para una película porno o, a lo más, para una sexy comedia. Sin embargo, el director japonés Hirokazu Koreeda nos trae una nueva visión del tema con la cinta Kûki ningyô, que las pocas veces que se ha presntado fuera de Asia se tituló Air Doll. En esta película, nos narra la historia de una mujer que, tras de haber sido un objeto sexual toda su vida, descubre de pronto que es una persona, y tiene que adaptarse a esta nueva cirunstancia. No se requiere ser un gran analista para darnos cuenta de que es un simil de la condición femenina, y más en un país tan tradicionalista como Japón. Si bien será algo difícil de que llegue a Occidente, pero es mejor estar pendientes.

This is the second part (first part here) of a list that was initially conceived back in January. Since then it has been revised to include most of the titles I didn’t manage to see until later on, so as to ensure that those later releases were also given a chance. While managing to (just about) condense the list into twenty films, there are a number of films from last year that are also worthy of mention despite not making the cut:

Dear Zachary – Heartbreaking, terrible evil, is bound to make you cry.
Tôkyô! – Colourful, metropolitan, three unique slices of Tokyo life.
The Class – Bold, boisterous, the joys of opening up young minds.
Flame & Citron - War, intrigue, and the unstoppable breeding of mistrust.
Everything is Fine – Greyish land, crippling grief,  and bubbling teenage angst.
A Complete History of My Sexual Failures - Narcissistic, hilarious, untrue.
The Headless Woman – Slow, subtle, a dream-like portrait of self-destruction.
Speed Racer – Garish, sensational, like dusty Sunday morning cartoons.

Above are the eight honourable mentions that I believe to be worthy of… mention. Unfortunately, it’s been so long since I’ve seen most of them that they’ve simply been condensed into single sentence summations for now.  Though please feel free to add your own. Now, back to the rest of the list. Enjoy, and be sure to look out for the 2009 edition of this list which should be posted around January/February of next year.

10. Wendy and Lucy | Kelly Reichardt

Montana-born actress Michelle Williams has come a long way since her career-propelling turn on the hit teenage drama Dawson’s Creek. That was ‘98, and a bold move for a young actress who had already made her screen debut. As with many other young talents however, the stability of a six-season run on such a popular primetime show proved to be priceless. Since then Williams has made some… [MORE]

09. Flight of the Red Balloon | Hou Hsiao-Hsien

It’s always interesting to watch talented filmmakers move away from their native land to create in a new environment. Seasoned director Hou Hsiao-Hsien was born in China, grew up in Taiwan yet has also made films in Japan. Voyage du Ballon Rouge or Flight of the Red Balloon is his first film set and shot outside Asia and is inspired by Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic Le Ballon Rouge. Many words… [MORE]

08. Doubt | John Patrick Shanley

John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt is a film about faith and about uncertainty. Historically, the idea of doubt has been regarded very differently by those of faith, often both as a sin and as a virtue. Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote that “Christianity has done its utmost to close the circle and declare even doubt to be a sin.” which can be seen in the poetry of Frederick William Faber; “For right is right, since God is God, … [MORE]

07. Revanche | Götz Spielmann

Götz Spielmann’s Revanche is named after the French word for “revenge”, and one would be hard-pressed to find a single word that could better sum up this slick European thriller. We open on the imposing tops of dark green trees reflected in a forest lake as the opening credits come and go, eventually leaving us with the most profound silence and stillness. After a few moments this calm is shattered… [MORE]

06. The Wrestler | Darren Aronofsky

As a concept, Darren Aronofsky’s latest outing The Wrestler is the closest this oft-misjudged director has ever been to conventional cinema, and it works for him. It’s an intelligent move. Not only will the film reassure all those fans of his that were alienated after The Fountain, it will also undoubtedly win western audiences over in the theaters. For what is more American than wrestling after all? The story… [MORE]

05. Synecdoche, New York | Charlie Kaufman

Attempting to explain the premise behind award winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York is like rushing to unravel a new roll of sticky tape with stunted fingernails. You think you’ve got it but you never truly have. You scrabble at the most accessible point until you break through, but in your enthusiasm realise that this has only exposed a deeper and stickier layer of… [MORE]

04. Still Walking | Hirokazu Koreeda

Someone recently pointed out to me that 2008 was a year for the family film; not those intended to entertain adults and kids alike but those created to portray the family dynamic in modern society. This is true in a sense, we have been treated to such family-oriented titles as I’ve Loved You So Long, Flight of the Red Balloon and Summer Hours from France alone this year. Then again it is also true… [MORE]

03. In the City of Sylvia | José Luis Guerín

Many tend to forget that film is the only popular medium in which one may tell a story without actually telling it. We forget that our good friend dialogue wasn’t present at the birth of cinema, nor was he expected. These days it seems that the screenplay is a critical step in the production process of a film, rather than an optional one. Works of the cinematic orientation conceived merely from a whispered concept are… [MORE]

02. Milk | Gus Van Sant

It’s taken a long time for Kentucky-born filmmaker Gus Greene Van Sant Junior to step out of his oft-tagged “indie” comfort zone and tackle a project of size. With Milk, the director has not only found his feet in more conventional territory, but also reignited a passion that seemed somehow dampened during his recent efforts. Milk is the story of California’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, and his… [MORE]

01. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | David Fincher

Which filmmaker do you believe best represents modern American cinema? Which filmography would you choose, if you could, to represent such a great country and its ever-increasing array of films? It’s a question that I’m sure many have thought about but, of course, there is no concrete answer. There is however a general consensus as to the recognised greats of American cinema and with The Curious Case... [MORE]

Thank you for reading.

Still Walking | Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008

Someone recently pointed out to me that 2008 was a year for the family film; not those intended to entertain adults and kids alike but those created to portray the family dynamic in modern society. This is true in a sense, we have been treated to such family-oriented titles as I’ve Loved You So Long, Flight of the Red Balloon and Summer Hours from France alone this year. Then again it is also true to say that filmmakers have always attempted to capture the beauty of family, and with Still Walking Japanese writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda has become the latest master of this subtle art. The original title, Aruitemo Aruitemo, refers to lyrics from a pop song that is mentioned during the film and literally translates into “Even if You Walk and Walk”, a name that had been slapped on the project for international release until some ill-advised soul intervened to alter it. Whatever the title for English speaking areas, here Koreeda details a long-overdue reunion for the Yokoyama family, headed by the lanky form of Ryoto who is played by Hiroshi Abe. Ryo hesitantly approaches this annual family gathering with his newfound widowed wife and her son in tow, and sure enough he is judged on this life decision almost instantly by his domineering father and energetic mother. Ryo’s sister however escapes such inspection, for it is not she who must fill the boots of the eldest Yokoyama son who had died in a tragic accident some years earlier.

The inability to hide resentment is a central part of Still Walking; an idea that greatly influences its range of characters though one that may not always take center stage. Ryo’s Father looks down upon him reproachfully, not only for his decision to marry a widow but also his career choices in general. The consequences of the family’s huge loss are such that a generational conflict has been raised and may never be extinguished. Therefore while the family home may have aged and gathered dust over the years, the dynamics and more importantly conflicts of family life have stayed the same. As Still Walking proceeds this resentment gives way to something like regret, regret that gives the film some warmth and perhaps stems from the director’s own experiences in such situations. It is this regret that ultimately pushes the family closer together before their awkward final parting must take place. As previously mentioned,  many filmmakers have attempted to capture the family dynamic with sincerity since the dawn of cinema. Hence it was only inevitable that a work like Still Walking would inspire people to draw comparisons to Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story, despite the two films being generations apart. Flattering comparisons aside, Still Walking is a subtle and touching family portrait that says a lot about the importance of kin in today’s society and at the same time much about Japanese culture.

Our Rating:

Un film del 2009, regia di Hirokazu Koreeda, con Jô Odagiri / Bae Du-na / Susumu Terajima / Arata. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico

Una bambola gonfiabile all’insaputa del proprio padrone prende coscienza e si innamora di un timido commesso in un videonoleggio.

“几年前母亲病重，我去医院陪侍。每天护士小姐来换药打针，母亲会不住地道谢。护士走后，母亲却要苦起脸抱怨几句：‘水平真差，前几天的护士要比她好多了’。我是从那时候开始构思这部电影的。”2009翠贝卡电影节，是枝裕和在电影放映前介绍说。

“母亲”这个形象，显然是电影的直接动机，和电影中最鲜明的人物。她可爱。她操持老两口的生活，数着下回儿女回来的日期，和老伴斗嘴但是做他爱吃的，还说“不用去叫他，香味出来他马上就过来了”——老头儿果然抽着鼻子过来了。她生动。她和女儿准备饭菜时絮絮地指导和斗嘴；想到一个相扑手不记得名字不自觉地学他表情让儿子帮着想；儿子给她零花钱，她由衷的开心，笑成一朵菊花。她有心眼。对二婚的儿媳妇觉得不满意会拐弯抹角地劝她别再要孩子——以便将来儿子万一和她离婚方便。发着呆会自己嘀咕女婿答应做的事没给做——“吃了饭，睡一觉，拍拍屁股就走了”。但是是枝裕和说“我不想把她描述得很坏。虽然她有时候会自私，但是母亲她就是这样的”。母亲确实就是这样的。

多年前长子的意外去世是这个家庭挥不去的阴霾。忌日这天，老少三代照例相聚，为了纪念，其实更算是一个家庭团聚的机会。分居各处的家庭成员，父子之间尴尬略有紧张的关系，关切但又不愿说出口的亲情，和总是慢了一步因而永远未曾实现的交流和表达，惯以细节动人的是枝裕和把感情用心填在一天里的一件件小事和一句句闲话之中，慢慢的用固定镜头和定格画面传送。最后一个缓慢摇高的镜头，悠思无限。

Un film del 2009, regia di Hirokazu Koreeda, con Jô Odagiri / Bae Du-na / Susumu Terajima / Arata. Prodotto da ()

Drammatico

Una bambola gonfiabile all’insaputa del proprio padrone prende coscienza e si innamora di un timido commesso in un videonoleggio.

Child neglect. Irresponsible parenting. Abandonment by feckless mother. Her 4 kids left to fend for themselves in a tiny flat on their own. Nobody knows.

Think I’ll prepare myself for sadness in advance.

Something grim is going to happen, possibly tragic.

Well, nothing too grim happens for about an hour and a half. They’re all caught in a daze with one another.

They’re very calm these kids. Quiet, passive, still, slow, kids. Undemonstrative and undemanding. There’s no dissent or discord energising any of their interactions. No fights or yelling at one another. They’re like Blue Peter kids. Sensible.

Perhaps a bit too photogenic. Even when they start losing it towards the end they’re still scruffy sweet rather than feral nasty. A kind of underwhelming undertow of sad resignation stagnates the air. They aren’t going to regress to animalistic instinct. They aren’t actively, or cruelly, maladjusted – just passively inert.

So it’s almost a relief to see signs of suffering going on in the last third of the film. Something to attach some compassion to. The pathos of the sad situation – the neglect, the abandonment – starts to become more disturbingly apparent.

How necessary suffering suddenly seems! Not just in films – but for life. Without the passion for suffering we’d get nowhere, do nothing. Where there is suffering there is desire, there is interest, there is craving and insistent need for life.

And I was right – tragic does happen at the end; but it’s so muted you could almost miss it, or not quite register it’s impact.

It’s like you might be trying to smother yourself softly and slowly – but nobody is noticing, nobody knows.

Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda, Japan

This is the 3rd film I’ve seen by this director (After Life and Maborosi were the other 2)

6/10 (It seems an insult to rate it as only ok - but it was abit too flat in tone to be truly affecting)

If you’re interested in memoir, you might enjoy After Life, a Japanese film from about ten years ago.

The setup is that when you die, have three days to pick a memory that will then be turned into a film. This film then accompanies you into all eternity.

Much of the movie is shot as a documentary, so it’s a little slow in parts. There are counselors in this stage of life, who are tasked with helping the newly dead decide on a memory. There is no judgment hour in this hereafter. One of the new guys even makes a joke of it. “What, no hell? This is it?”

If there is no hour of judgment, the counselors do their best not to judge the dead people either, but this is where the film really shines. You can’t help but judge the people as they reveal themselves through their memories: one is a prostitute, another a lecherous old man (If you wait to pick your prostitute until 11 O’clock, you get a better bargain!), another a boring old man.

At least, I felt justified sizing up each of the newly dead, based on their memories. But as I watched the story unfold through the character’s memories, I realized not everyone is who they might seem. The memories are all true, but the context is everything.

Un film del 2008, regia di Hirokazu Koreeda, con You / Hiroshi Abe / Yoshio Harada / Ryôga Hayashi. Prodotto da (114min)

Drammatico

Riunione di famiglia in cui in un giorno d’estate due fratelli che ormai sono cresciuti e vivono per conto loro si recano a far visita agli anziani genitori portando con se le proprie famiglie. L’occasione è la commemorazione della morte del fratello maggiore avvenuta quindici anni prima.

After Life.
Hirokazu Koreeda. 1998. VOSEnglish
dvd: 29
imdb: 7.8

When you die what do you want on the ‘otherside’? A ‘company’ works with the deceased to crystalize one chosen memory to last an eternity. The first kiss, the birth of a child, the first raindrop after a prison sentence. Shot like a documentary, this Japanese masterpiece is intimately woven.

William Hilderbrandt

När man pratar japansk populärkultur är det närmast legio att anime kommer på tal. Men medan merparten kawaii-skrikande plastjapaner nöter datorstolar framför Bleach och Naruto, sitter en annan på i väst inte lika uppmärksammade med icke desto mindre intressanta sorters serier. “Genren” förkortas j-drama (eller j-dorama) och fängslar årligen upp emot halva Japans befolkning. Per serie. I kampen j-drama versus anime har förstnämnda många fördelar. Serierna är inte bara lättare att relatera till, de är också betydligt kortare (med sällan fler än 12 avsnitt), och kan för nyfikna fungera som ett fönster till japanernas inte så händelserika vardag. En av dem är 電車男, eller Densha Otoko (tågmannen).

Yamada Tsuyoshi, gestaltad av Atsushi Ito, är ingen vanlig kille. Hans liv kretsar kring anime – något han således dyrkar mer än lovligt – och samlandet av actionfigurer från hans favoritserier. Tillsammans med en snålt tilltagen grupp vänner älskar han att spendera dagarna i elektronikparadiset Akihabara. Den sociala kompetensen sträcker sig inte längre än till tangentbordet, eller möjligtvis den mikroskopiska kärna personer som utgör hans bekantskapskrets. Därför är det med darrande händer och stammande ord som han en dag tar modet till sig och räddar den vackra flickan framför honom på tåget från att bli utsatt för otukt av en äldre, berusad man. Där, mitt på tåget, tog hans liv en stor vändning. För första gången någonsin vågade han säga ifrån – en handling som dränker honom i tacksamhet, av såväl flickan själv som tågets andra passagerare – och blev något så mycket mer än en mesig otaku (en person som snöat in på något).

I hopp om stöd skriver han av sig om händelsen på ett diskussionsforum, där han sedermera får hjälp från likasinnade. När ett paket dyker upp med hans namn adresserat ställs Yamada för ytterligare en utmaning: sig själv. Kärlek vid första ögonkastet har gjort det omöjligt för honom att sluta tänka på den besinningslöst söta flickan, men att erkänna sin nördiga, mindre smickrande sida är inget alternativ. Istället försöker han dölja sitt sanna jag, och samtidigt ihärdigt kämpa för att vinna hennes hjärta.

Intressant i sammanhanget är att Densha Otoko, liksom hjärtstrimlande Dare mo Shiranai (Nobody Knows) av Hirokazu Koreeda, bygger på en riktig händelse, som när den porträtteras i j-draman inte modifierats nämnvärt. Historien spreds lika snabbt som en epedemi, och gavs ut som bok redan 2004. 2005 filmatiserades den och gick upp på japanska biografer, varpå en tv-serie började sändas på CX (med vitt skilda skådespelare), vilket 2006 följdes upp med en rad olika manga-serier (från fyra olika förlag, och tre olika manusförfattare). Intresset har således varit gigantiskt, vilket känns föga överraskande. För kärlekshistorien Densha Otoko är berörande, spännande och bitvis riktigt rolig. Misaki Ito, tidigare “känd” för sin medverkan i Love Complex och Beauty 7, är som klippt och skuren för rollen som “Hermes”. Hennes skådespelarinsatser övertygar serien igenom och bidrar till många känsloladdade scener. Atsushis likaså, även om han ibland tenderar till att spela över.

Densha Otoko var min introduktion till japanska dramaserier och fängslade från början till slut. För även om händelseförloppet sällan överraskar, och Atsushi stundtals får sin karaktär att likna en karikatyr, är det svårt att inte falla för den gripande berättelsen. Sentimentala klimax, nästan undantagslöst duktiga skådespelare och en välavvägd dos humor och seriositet gör att serien även än idag sällar sig till en av de mest minnesvärda. Rekommenderas starkt till alla som har minsta möjliga fallenhet för japansk populärkultur.

There is something going on in modern Asian narratives that is centered around unaccountable displacement and lost individuals. I will get to the heart of this mystery soon. Marborosi capped my weekend nicely. Its meditative disposition fit well with the David Lynch lecture on transcendental meditation I enjoyed yesterday evening at UCI. Experiencing moving images alone in a dark room is strangely soothing. My mind abandons daily chaos and embraces a newly focused whirl of psychic activity guided by whatever film found itself in my mail box.

The two Koreeda pictures I’ve seen were exceedingly tender, in line with the guided caution of most slow moving stories. I appreciated how realistic Maborosi was. The protagonist’s transition to a new life was organic. I didn’t immediately get the sense that she had been dumped in the most depraved situation possible. Her loss lingers, but it doesn’t eclipse her new environment. She is a detached participant. Her new husband isn’t a terrible man. The distance she keeps from him is understandable. The effusive denouement is mostly earned though slightly less effective than it could have been. Still, this is an exceedingly pretty and highly observant character study. One which moves as surely as the seasons and who’s transitions are nearly as seamless.