37 Seconds

This is the only movie in my life that kept my eyes in tears from start to finish! God really exists! This movie is a proof!

I had just finished a hectic shift at 1am and needed something to fall asleep to. I don't watch a lot of Japanese cinema so I figured this would be a good choice. Bad choice! It was so good, I stayed awake and watched the whole thing! Mei Kayama in the main role is SUPERB, as is her mother. The other actors play their respective parts very well too, but the relationship between Yuma (Mei) and her mother (Misuzu Takada) is just sensational. The movie is about a young woman with cerebral palsy who is told to get some life experience in order to strengthen her art. She accepts the challenge with both hands and tries to do the things any 23 year old woman would do, but it sometimes doesn't work out for her the way she would like due to her disability. Mei is a super cute actress and very talented. This really was a very unique and insightful film. Very touching, very innocent, very inspiring. Definitely worth a watch. It's currently on Netflix in the USA and Canada if you have a a subscription.

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This film is simple but well made. The characters were portrayed with such intricacy. It is almost 3:00 am and I do not regret watching this film instead of studying. The acting and the cast is top notch. I found myself crying more than I anticipated.

I'd never heard of this film but added it to my list on Netflix anyway...I'm extremely glad I did! A beautifully shot film that makes you laugh and cry! The highlight of this film for me though is the acting of the actress who plays the main character Yuma...quite possibly one of the greatest performances I've ever seen,,That may sound overdramatic,but I'm struggling to think of when I've ever seen a better performance than that. I would really highly recommend this movie for everyone to see.

This is a tough watch, but if you don't mind human (and humane) stories, this will float your boat (and/or rock it). This really is about struggles and what life can be about. A girl between family and her dreams/goals. And others who may or may not be taken advantage of her situation. This is real or at least it feels as real as it can. Which makes it either appealing or appaling to viewers. If you want fancy, you won't get this here. If a bit of exciting themes, but fighting ones demons (and other demons metaphorically speaking) is the main issue here.

I only write the occasional review here. I dont do it nearly enough as I feel strongly about film as a medium and a tool to tell a story. So i asked myself what if this was a book? Would it still work? I asked myself that as I thought of Mei Kayama performance. It is the best performance I have ever seen. It is hard to compare different performances. It is almost like comparing sports.. So one of the reasons why it was so good is that Mei Kayama's sweet voice is perfect for the sweet nature of the girl she portrays. I have a soft spot for coming of age movies. (the best one until this one was Reflecting skin) I really don't want to tell anything more. Well the camerawork and direction is excellent. They catch the right moments. I found the short scene were the camera was far away and Mei was having a talk with "the driver" was fantastic. Why I won't tell you. You 'll have to see it for yourself. Anyway to answer my original question? Like forest of love ,which has quite the opposite form of acting, the movie is the better medium to tell the story. Sometimes a performance is so great that under the right direction no book can equal it. A rating of ten can't be based on a single performance in a movie. There is also story, camerawork, director, other cast members. So mei's performance is perfect for me. the whole movie revolves about Mei's coming of age. and the entire cast, story, every detail revolves about that. There is not a second wasted (pun not intended) The picture that Mei drew was perfect and I cant wait to see other work from her (this was her debut) The director/writer is one to watch too. However she has set a really high standard for herself with this. And a movie half as good as this would still be dsmn close to perfect. So i hope she (Hikari) continues to make movies like that or will be able to tell other stories with no waste. I think For Hikari the film is also about talking about people with disabilities. This is an issue in almost every culture not Japan alone though. Hikari managed to talk about it in such a way that we saw Yuma in the beginning as a wheelchair bound weak person very much because we (society,family/her mother) put her there.. And thus the director portrays Yuma like that. However at the end we see a different Yuma . the transformation is subtle. Yuma is still Yuma. Nothing feels out of place. So wlell dome director hats of... While not as spectacular visual transformation like in a david lynch movie . where the transformation is so big there is even a different actor the transformation of yuma before or eyes is nothing short of impressive.. how it all changes... well you have to watch movie. l

I've reviewed 41 movies for IMDB over the space of 10 years...this is my only 10. 37 seconds is a beautiful, emotional movie, a wonderful story of a determined girl to do things she wanted to do, breaking out of her comfort zone, and how she deals with the challenges of the life she lives. Its a wonderful story of the challenges of parenthood, and dealing a daughter with special needs. Absolutlely incredible movie... probably cried in this movie more than any other. Completely underated, one of Japan's best.

I will keep this journey alongside Yuma in my heart for the rest of my life and I'm grateful to Hikari for crafting this sublime gem. Arigatou!

I stumbled upon "37 Seconds" (aka "37 sekanzu") on Netflix. I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to finding it on Netflix, and it being an Asian movie that I hadn't already seen was actually more than sufficient to make me want to watch it. But the movie's synopsis most definitely also won me over. And I just finished the movie now. And color me impressed. This movie was phenomenal in many ways. First and foremost, the storyline and plot was just so well-written and directed by Hikari. It is the type of story that sucks you in and takes you along on a very emotional and powerful journey through the life of a woman with cerebral palsy, whom is exploring her own independence and sexuality. But what is really great about "37 Seconds" is that the movie is told from the woman's point of view. And director Hikari definitely was good at keeping the audience enthralled and entranced with the storyline. And the performances in the movie were simply spectacular. It is not without good reason that newcomer actress Mei Kayama won an award for this movie. I was really amazed with her talent and her passion that just radiated from her on the screen. She has so much charisma and natural talent. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future. But also the actress that played the mom put on a very memorable performance. It was really good that director Hikari didn't succumb to making the movie about sympathy for the main character, which would have been the easy route to take for a movie such as this. But instead, the movie is about the life choices, the hardships of her disability and relationship with her mom, and of her coming of age and finding herself and her sexuality. This was, essentially, a movie about growth and independence, that transcends disability or not. "37 Seconds" is a movie that is every bit driven by character development and growth as it is driven by its powerful storyline. And that is a very reward experience on the screen, because it makes for some very wholehearted entertainment. Even if you are not keen on watching Japanese movies, then you should definitely take the time to sit down and watch "37 Seconds", because it is a very moving story, and it is a movie that will stick with you for a long, long time after the movie has ended. I am rating "37 Seconds" a sure ten out of ten stars. This is a very memorable movie in my opinion, and definitely one of the brighter moments in Japanese cinema.