Synopsis

Noriko Shimabara is an ordinary 17 year old girl. Her family consists of her younger sister Yuka, father Tetsuzo, and mother Taeko. Noriko couldn’t help but feel unsatisfied with her ordinary suburban town life. One day, she discovers an interesting website on the internet where teenage girls from all over Japan gather. There, Noriko for the first time in her life feels that she is being understood by others. Noriko runs away from home to seek a new home in Tokyo. Arriving in Tokyo, she meets Kumiko, who is the center figure behind the website. Along with Kumiko, Noriko becomes a member of a strange business called FAMILY CIRCLE, which offers a rental family service. At FAMILY CIRCLE, members are dispatched to people with no family members to create an instant pseudo-family. Noriko finds the true beauty of family while role playing in a pseudo-family, and through that pseudo-family, she begins understanding more about the relationship between herself and her family, as well as her relationship with herself. Following her sister, Yuka also runs to Tokyo. Their father Tetsuzou then begins searching for his two missing daughters. After long searches, he finds out that his daughters are members of FAMILY CIRCLE

Review

Yet another bizzare film from Sono Sion (of: Suicide Circle & Strange Circus). Comes this seemingly melodramatic film of an adolecent girl breaking into adult hood. The movie isn’t so much as horror or SHOCK compared to Sion’s last outings. But really a feel of ‘Made-for-TV drama’ falls well into the subject. It was a quaint yet touching film of a family falling apart. I was taken by the idea of ‘Rental Family’s’ which was quite the premise in this whole. Apparently the supposed spark to the ‘Suicide Club’ (fan BBS site is: http://www.haikyo.com/). The film didn’t really feel like a FILM at all, but more like a spoken audiobook. Throughout the entire time. Noriko seemed to describe every little bit that was going on “i tore a thread off the sleeve of my coat” interesting but quickly starts to get tiring at times. But actually helps describe what’s going on half the time in the film (since it was kinda easy to get lost at points). For the first 2 hours it’s a harkening falling tell of a lost teen trying to find there place in the world (more like an episode of Dawson’s Creek) But for the last piece of the movie, it quickly turns into a sillouette scene out of Psycho. I’m a little thankful “yet depressed” that it wasn’t as random and crazy as ‘SUICIDE CIRCLE.’ Though more like a sweet dramatic tale of finding yourself and seeing where you belong (ugh, god that feels soo bitter sweet to say ).

Plot/Story: a little more straightforward than Suicide Circle. it answeres some questions, but opens plenty more.

Acting: beliveble at times. especially during the scenes where the ‘RENTAL FAMILY’ goes into their clients appointments acting to be there supposed ‘Relatives.’

Directing: feels like at times it was shot by a high-quality digital camera. it was more like a documentary screening than a film.

overall *** out of *****

(if you enjoyed ‘Suicide Circle’ then you may/or may not enjoy this. it is very different than what SC was.)

official sites:

http://www.haikyo.com/

http://www.jikennews.com/

http://www.elevenarts.net/Feature/Titles/NorikosDinnerTable/index.html

http://www.noriko-movie.com/