Viewed on DVD. Cinematography/lighting = six (6) stars; subtitles/translations = five (5) stars; DVD video format = two (2) stars. Director Ryosuke Hashiguchi's radical upending of the typical Shoahimin Eiga (home drama) movie genre is refreshing and hilarious as his satire (Hashiguchi wrote the scenario) goes after just about all the stale components of standard Shoahimin Eiga (especially those repeatedly exploited by so-called "classical" Japanese movie makers in the past). Hashiguchi's film is also touching as he explores the many road blocks encountered in contemporary society by a lonely gay couple wishing to start a family (child adoption is not an option). Added to the mix is a female protagonist who for medical (related to multiple abortions) and psychological (plain loneliness) reasons is seeking to start a family with a man who "looks like a father." In a chance encounter, she feels that one of the gays has this look! The director is highlighting the partially hidden ongoing cultural clash between heretofore standard family formation, structure, and values (at least as conjured up in movies) and the reality of modern times: one gay's mother is pushing hard for a traditional marriage process and family structure; the other gay's older brother (but not his wife) seems open to new types of family structures (at least on the surface); and then there is the emerging two-dads-one-mom family model depicted in this photo play. Hashiguchi penchant for long, single takes (a good five minutes or so in duration without a cut) channels Hitchcock's usual methodology. But unlike Hitchcock, Hashiguchi's long scenes often end up becoming tedious and ultimately boring. Acting is okay. Subtitles can not be turned off, and tend to be a bit long given their rapid flash rates. Not all dialog is translated. The video formatting used for this DVD seems to be targeting old-style "square" TV screens. It looks pretty bizarre on modern monitors. Rather than expanding the image to full video screen size (at least horizontally), thick black bars surround a miniaturized version of a semi-wide screen. The black borders take up about 50 percent of the video screen's real estate! (Just sit closer!) Concluding scenes seem to be lining things up for a sequel which has yet to emerge. Recommended. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

I've watched this movie several times but last night I watched it again and I just have to say something about it. This is not your normal gay movie with a lot of gratuitous sex scenes, nor is this a gay movie about AIDS, nor does the plot have anything to do with someone being sick. This is a story about how two fine looking young Japanese men meet up, have a relationship and start a life together. The families of these two men are screwed up, like too many are in life, but these two keep on going. Then just to make it even more interesting, two women come into the middle of these two men's lives. One becomes like a third partner (she wants a baby from them) and the other has a typical young girl infatuation. What really caught my attention was how both these guys do things together at home and outside the home. They care about each other, know each other, and do spontaneous things together. I think we could all learn about relationships from watching these two guys interact together. Love the story.

This comedy drama is about a Japanese girl who meets a couple of gay lovers at a restaurant and they lend her their umbrella to shelter her from the pouring rain. Harmless enough you might say, but then she becomes obsessed with a strange idea. She is not interested in love or romance or marriage or a one night stand. No way. All she wants is a sample of semen from one of the gay guys so that she can make a baby. A baby is her one desire in life and believe it or not her desire is so strong she unashamedly puts her request to them. Just a sample with absolutely no strings attached.It would seem that we have here an interesting story line that has elements of sex and humour and more than a touch of originality. How wrong we are. After the initial request for what we would consider a very private and personal matter, the film bogs down in sheer boredom. I'm not blaming the actors. They play their roles well. It's just that nothing really happens. There are no dramatic climaxes. Admittedly the characters have some big decisions to make but they seem to get nowhere as the film drifts on.I think the problem is that the film is too even and becomes too monotonous.On the whole I find this film rather disappointing. The actors are worthy of better material and perhaps the director could infuse some more excitement into the bland scenes especially for people like me who tend to fall asleep if the interest wanes.

"Hush" is a dramedy out of Japan which swirls around a handful of young adults including a couple of gay men and a female who wants to have a baby by one of them. This skillfully crafted flick has warmth and charm and poignancy and heart and humor and....but, damn, it sure is long and bland. About as interesting as tofu, this character-driven film dawdles interminably as the characters pour over their relationships, including families and friends, in minute detail while we non-Japanese English speakers are reading subtitles and trying to keep the male characters straight as they are very similar in appearance. My eyes were bouncing up and down between faces and subtitles like paddle-balls for 2.25 hours. Recommended only for Japanese films buffs into people pictures. (B-)