Jul

5

2008

Closed Note

Posted by luna6


Movie: Closed Note
Release Date: January 31, 2008
Country: Japan
Director: Isao Yukisada
Starring: Erika Sawajiri, Yusuke Iseya, Yuko Takeuchi
Runtime: 138 min
Editor Rating: 5.0
Users Rating: 6.32 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (19 votes)

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Isao Yukisada, the man behind that quintessential ju’nai pic “Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World,” returns with his latest sentimental pic “Closed Note.” While the movie is likely to elicit more yawns than anything else, the movie did have that controversial press opening, where main actresses Erika Sawajiri giving her infamous pouting snub to the Japanese media. That event did land Sawajiri a one year banishment from the film industry and in retrospect I can now better understand her lack of enthusiasm for “Closed Note.”

In Isao Yukisada’s “Closed Note,” Kae Horii (Erika Sawajiri) moves into her new flat in an undisclosed area of Kyoto. While unpacking her belongings, she discovers a hidden compartment behind a inconspicuous mirror. In that compartment, Kae finds a notebook, that turns out to be a diary belonging to the previous tenant. Later that evening Kae starts to read the diary.

The writer of the diary is Ibuki Mano (Yuko Takeuchi), a young lady about to embark on her first year as an elementary school teacher. Ibuki is also in love with a man named Takashi, who may or may not hold similar feelings for Ibuki.

The diary immediately resonates with Kae, as she plans to become an elementary school teacher herself. Ibuki’s experiences also works as an inspirational instructional guide for Kae’s own personal life. Kae is also in love with an aloof illustrator/artist (Yusuke Iseya), who may or may not hold similar feelings for Kae.

Problems with “Closed Note” are found in many areas. Take your pick between a storyline that’s all too familiar, an impressive list of actors who never mesh into their roles, and (probably the biggest fault of the movie) the just too damn slow pacing of the movie. The pacing was so slow that it caused this reviewer to drift off into lalaland on two separate occasions. I believe Isao Yukisada’s intentions were to create a world similar to a living, breathing “I Love You” card, but the end result was more of an unbelievably sweet world where characters were incapable of jaywalking or cutting a fart (sorry had to say it). The slowness is most pronounced in the first half, while the second half picked up steam marginally.

The choice of actors initially appeared as a strong point for the movie, but after watching “Closed Note” I can confidently say that pool of talent was completely wasted. Whether it was Hiromi Nagasaku relegated to smiling throughout her screentime or Yusuke Iseya cast as a shy artist (didn’t believe it for one minute) or the lack of chemistry between all the main characters, the word “underwhelming” would have been the perfect tagline for “Closed Note.” There’s also poor choices in the editing realm, with sub-plots (girlfriend goes to London, boyfriend loves Sawajiri) that exists for no real good reasons and is forgotten by the second half of the film.

About the only positive thing that can be said about “Closed Note” is that film isn’t terrible in any particular area. But with it’s mediocre storyline, underwhelming performances, odd editing choices, and pacing that is slow as molasses, well you got a movie that works remarkably well when you need take a nap. And that’s about it.

Cast:
Erika Sawajiri - Kae Horii
Yusuke Iseya - Ryu Ishitobi
Yuko Takeuchi - Ibuki Mano
Yuka Itaya - Hoshi Yamazaki
Hiromi Nagasaku - Kanako
Katsuo Nakamura - Kiichirou
Saeko - Hana Ikeuchi
Eisuke Sasai - Segawa
Tetsushi Tanaka - Kashima
Urara Awata - Kimiyo’s mother
Ai Yamaguchi - Kimiyo Mizuhara
Renji Ishibashi - Masamichi Nakazawa


If you like this movie you may enjoy: Heavenly Forest



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2007 Movie Reviews, Japanese Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies |

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3 Comments so far

  1. 3 PrincelyLuna Says: July 6, 2008

    i love the last Isao Yukisada’s movie that i saw, Into the Faraway Sky … a bit strange but nevertheless enjoyable. the plot of Closed Note does sound like there’s nothing much to it … even A Day on A Planet, which i find slow-paced has a better storyline. well, despite of it all, i think i’d still watch it b’cos of Yusuke Iseya .. heh heh.

    by the way, i remember reading something negative about Erika Sawajiri before … something to do with her attitude. IMHO, she’s not that great of an actress. i’d prefer watching Chizuru Ikewaki to her.

  2. 2 luna6 Says: October 12, 2007

    Hey Luiz - all release dates are theatrical release date (since the dvd release date is unknown at the moment). Will post something on the dvd whenever it comes out as this one seems pretty darn good.

    Also Erika Swaijiri made quite a stir a few weeks ago.

    “During last weekend, Erika Sawajiri and her fellow cast members made a press appearance for their upcoming film “Closed Note” in Japan. During the media event, Erika Sawajiri looked visibily perturbed, often standing with her arms folded and a cold stare. During the entire media event, Erika spoke only three sentences, one line “Betsu Ni…” (nothing’s wrong) becoming a catchphrase among the reporters there.

    The actress did give an apology on on her website about her conduct. Erika was scheduled to appear at the Pusan International Film Festival during the fest’s opening ceremony and film showing, but because of last weekend’s incident, her agency and film company decided to cancel her appearance. Ouch.”

  3. 1 Luiz Says: October 12, 2007

    Is this release date for theaters? Do you anything about the DVD?