A Gentle Breeze in the Village

A Gentle Breeze in the Village (Tennen kokekko) is by far one of the most beautiful films I've seen in recent years. It's not about superheroes or villains, the famous or the rich, wars or parties. It's about life. That is what I love about this film. It's a reminder of the simple pleasures of life that should never be forgotten.

The young actors have such good chemistry and the settings are stunning. The film in all has a light hearted humor that makes it a joy to watch.

Hence, I'm giving this movie a 10/10 for being the best film I've seen all year, and hopefully everyone else who sees this film will agree with me.

This film takes you back to the basics of life. It re-teaches one the values of friendship through the simplicities of serene country living.

The small country village where the film takes place is very charming. It has a school that has only 7 students, and they are almost all in different years.

When a new boy comes to the village he is welcomed with love from the children, and the eldest of the group 'Soyo' is simply captivating in her curiosity towards 'Hiromi'; the handsome boy from Tokyo. Soyo struggles to find a balance between the excitement of falling in love for the first time, and holding on to her precious connection with her village and the other children.

This is a very uplifting film, and the characters make it so. It's a graceful, heartwarming and inspiringly told story, and those who find themselves sometimes wishing for 'a simple life' should enjoy it just as much as I did.

Another movie depicting the goodness of simple life in the countryside and the innocent love of a teenage girl. They should not have been able to make such a beautiful film without big name actors and a lot of money, but they did. A miraculously good film, just like "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish".

I have seen the lead actress Kaho in minor roles in many dorama series before, and I didn't have much expectations for her in this movie, but she was phenomenal. She was very cute and pure, had a great control of her emotions, and just fit perfectly into the role. Cinematography and camera-work were equally wonderful, a proof that big budget CG isn't necessary for stunning scenes. What I loved most though, was how well this film was directed. It had a very straightforward story of a shy and earnest girl falling in love, and it didn't have any scenes that were overwhelming memorable and dramatic like most masterpieces, but I was totally drawn into the story. I totally connected with all the main characters. Even the theme song by Qururi is amazingly titled "Kotaba wa Sankaku Kokoro wa Shikaku" (Words are triangular, heart is square). Perfectly describing the youthful heroine not being able to express her true feelings.

Although I still feel "Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai" as the best film of the year, this movie was a very enjoyable experience for me. It shows that beauty lies beneath ordinary things and emotion through subtlety, a true Japanese film. Everything was perfect, I can't come up with a single flaw in this movie. As I mentioned before, a miraculous film.

A mellow, idyllic and quiet feel-good movie about a school in a secluded coastal village. There are no mobile phones and gaming consoles. The children are still playing outside, there is still a community and healthy family life. If you're looking for relaxation and a dose of wholesomeness with a little bit of romance on top, look no further. I enjoyed it.

I've grown to really love Japanese movies like this. They don't take you on some anxiety inducing, harrowing journey. It's more like a couple of hours of soul nourishing meditation.