"Laundry" might be somewhat of an overlooked title to make it out from the Japanese cinema. And it is only my undying love and interest in the Asian cinema that lead me to this movie as I stumbled upon it in a DVD store in Hong Kong.The story told in this 2002 romantic drama is about a young man named Teru (played by Yôsuke Kubozuka) whom suffered an injury to the head and brain during his childhood. He is now looking after the coin laundry service for his elderly grandmother. Here he meets the brokenhearted Mizue (played by Koyuki). A random chance friendship sparks as the two starts talking with each other.For you to fully enjoy "Laundry", then you must enjoy a story- and character-driven drama. To some the storyline might be slow paced and somewhat of an enjoyment killer. But if you do enjoy these kind of movies, then "Laundry" is a rather wholesome entertaining movie that is rich on story, character development and acting performances.The acting by the two lead talents was really great, and they really pulled their weight quite fabulously, both individually and together on the screen. There was a really good chemistry between Yôsuke Kubozuka and Koyuki.While "Laundry" is not a drama that will have you in tears, it is still a rather enjoyable movie, and I can more than warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch this 2002 Japanese movie. It is the type of drama that sinks into your soul and sticks with you for quite awhile. So thumbs up to director Jun'ichi Mori for this accomplishment.
... View MoreI actually got this movie as a Valentine's present, and now I'm pretty sure she loves me. :D Laundry is about boy meets girl. Boy has some issues due to an injury he suffered as a kid, girl has some issues too from a break-up she had a while earlier. This movie is about the search for everyday happiness. It tells us we all might have something bothering us from the past but we should cherish the moments that have been given us, everyday, every moment of our lives. Teru, the boy, shows this with his pure innocence, his ignorance maybe of what life is about. His thoughts and actions makes us see we do not need a lot to be happy. Mizue, the girl, on the other hand offers us another perspective; she is aware of being a reject and tries to fit in, without success. When she meets Teru she realises that is not the key to happiness. The cinematography of this movie is great with nice use of colours. The soundtrack totally fits the mood of the movie, the acting is also of great quality. It all adds up to a sweet and touching story on.. Life.
... View MoreFrankly, there is no significance in the title of this film. The title can be easily renamed to something else, given its weak plot and characters. Additionally, the confused amateur director, Junichi Mori, did not develop the significance of laundry.An intellectually disabled kid, Teru (better known as Sugihara in 'GO'; made in 2001), was tasked to take care of his grandmother's laundry store. To gain some sympathy votes, Teru wears a cute knitted hat permanently attached to his head. He got into some romance issues as expected.Mao points: 1/10
... View MoreA young man, who's mentally handicapped, meets a young woman, with a great deal of baggage, at the laundry where he works and they fall in love. This is a very quirky love story that was exactly what I wasn't in the mood for when I watched it. Still I stayed with it, so I laughed and cried a bit with these very quirky characters.I'm of two minds about this movie. I want to say that this isn't a bad movie, which I know sounds like a backhanded compliment. But its the truth, its not a bad movie, so I feel rather bad having anything less than sterling about it. My problem is that the film is almost too quirky (A term I hate but unfortunately is the only thing that comes to mind when I think about this movie). Everyone is a "character" with quirky (forgive me) traits. This isn't bad, its just that I felt that my cup runneth over, especially when the film runs just over two hours.At the same time you have to love a movie that treats its characters as individuals. I loved the fact that even though Teru, our hero, is handicapped he doesn't twitch or convulse or speak in a funny voice. He's just this guy, which is something that can be said about all of the characters, they just are. I also loved that the course of events seemed natural to the place that the story happens in, we don't have any weird twists at the end to make it more sad or more happy, its just what it is and it somehow makes sense.I liked this but I wanted to love it. Certainly you should take a chance and see it if you come across it since it is quite good, though if you watch it like me, at one thirty in the morning, it may not hold your attention the way it should.(Comments subject to change pending second viewing)
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