Ôoku |
Japan • 2010 • 116m •
   • Directed by: Fuminori Kaneko. • Starring: Ko Shibasaki, Kazunari Ninomiya, Maki Horikita, Hiroshi Tamaki, Rei Kikukawa, Mitsuko Baishô, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Yuka Itaya, Sadao Abe, Tsuyoshi Muro, Aoi Nakamura, Terunosuke Takezai, Yoshihiko Hosoda..   In the year 1716 a mysterious epidemic stickens men in the country of Japan, dropping the population of men to 1/4th of its prior state. With the drastic reduction of men, the gender roles become reversed. Woman become the dominant members of society and males are sought out for the ability to produce children. A young man named Unoshin Mizuno hopes to marry childhood sweetheart Onobu, but due to class differences realizes this is almost impossible.
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Review:
But first of all, let me say that I don't know why someone wrote Sci-Fi for the genre here at IMDb. It doesn't even come close to a Sci-fi flick. I was not expecting a story with such depth tho...The cinematography, the art direction, and the sheer enormity of the visuals were as beautiful as expected of Japan in various seasons. And even more, the acting was superb! Very emotional at times. Personally, I think that the characters are very well developed because they are complex, deceptive and quite multi-dimensional in their basic human drives. They make sense within the constraints in which they are cast. We get the full spectrum of a movie; varied scenery and ambiance, multiple stories, realistic characters, a realistic society portrait, and so on. Certainly, this movie has strong characters, but like the inner chambers of any Shogun's castle, they are puppets. Along with intense & emotional moments, it concludes with a mind blowing twist that'll keep this movie on your mind long after it's over.
Lastly, the filmmakers who designed and implemented all the sets and costumes should take a hell of a lot of pride in what they do. Some of the most lavish personal quarters and outfits I've ever seen in a Japanese flick of this time period!
Overall, it's an entertaining movie with an understandable story and believable characters that no Japanese movie lover should miss!
Review by BronzeKeilani26 from the Internet Movie Database.
Movie Database