Shizukana ame

It so easy to forget the taste, feel and depth of our daily routine because the mundane we all experience brings an nearly invisible familiarity. So too, does that mindless pattern of life sometimes stray into something altogether different, transformational and of such nobility that it brings out a rarified kindness that makes a human effort for one another - a marvel to behold.

Silent Rain or aka Shizukana ame, tells such a story. Yuki meets Koyomi via a shared love of Taiyaki and her mastery of the confection. His limp and her uniqueness brew a concoction that is special and cherished by both in a slow blooming certitude until life - as it so often will - plays its usual mean tricks.

From a barely glowing ember something remarkable may occur and we are unable to turn away. As this wonderfully quiet and simple story tracks the tenacious and patient effort between two people we eavesdrop intimately in the pure process that only a skilled Japanese filmmaker can portray.

And make no mistake you will be glad to have made this journey because of the special effort of the actors making you believe what you see is real on the screen. This is an absolutely remarkable film!

This is like the serious version of those cheesy American rom-coms like Fifty First Dates. And I really felt the guy's pain. Having to muster the enthusiasm and motivation each morning must be rough. Who wouldn't break down having to get back to almost square one each single day?

However, it felt long and stilted for a very short movie. The first hour or so were very draggy. Sedate even. There's that Japanese restraint and politeness that prevents real connection. I must confess it got interesting for me when he breaks down over broccoli. That's where the movie took off for me and I wish the whole thing were more like that. I had a sneaky suspicion it would turn into full-on melodrama and I thought you know what they could come up with? So he walks up those stairs to relive that moment and then he gets run over by a car.

Don't worry, that didn't happen. It got back on track. And I was glad it did. However I'm sorry for this poor guy's future. It had barely been a month of this. I'm sure there's also some symbolism to him being disabled. It also makes us instantly sorry for him.

Anyway, do these conditions actually exist? How do these people live really?