Anyone expecting the classical forms of plot and characterization in this film will be sadly disappointed. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE has a minimal plot - a young student Akiko (Rin Takanashii), who may or may not be a prostitute, visits the home of elderly writer Takashi Watnabe (Tadashi Okuno); an affection develops between them, even though no physical contact takes place. Watnabe encounters Akiko's fiancé Noriaki (Ryô Kase), and convinces him that the two are related: Noriaki finds out that Watnabe is lying, and comes to his apartment and smashes a window, Abbas Kiarostami's focuses more on shifting moods - the sad resignation of Akiko as she goes about her business, neither enjoying nor appreciating it; the blank face of the cab-driver who takes her to Watnabe's apartment; the wistful looks of Watnabe as he looks at Akiko; for him she might be both desirable yet also an object of regret for his own lost youth. Kiarostami refuses to give us the security of explaining his characters' motivations; he leaves it up to us to make our own decisions. Comprised of long close-ups interspersed with shot/reverse shot sequences, the film is more focused on what is not said, rather than the dialog. What gives LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE its true freshness is the quality of its visual imagery:: the film is chock- full of prison images: we see the protagonists sitting in Watnabe's car through the windscreen, the world outside reflected in the class; the bright lights of Tokyo streets fade into a blur as the yellow cab drives through seemingly endless long and straight boulevards; Akiko is seen sleeping in Watnabe's bed through the frosted glass of the bedroom door; while Akiko and Watnabe exchange their dialog in the confined spaces of Watnabe's apartment or Watnabe's car. Through such techniques Kiarostani shows us how the characters are prisoners both of themselves - and their inability to disclose their feelings - and the urban environment, which confines them both night and day. The denouement is both unexpected and, in terms of the film's thematic preoccupations, quote shocking: by smashing Watnabe's window, Noriaki both literally and figuratively tries to break the prison-like atmosphere. But there is a sad irony here; although we see the window breaking ,we do not see any resolution as far as the characters are concerned. The title, and the Ella Bitzgerald song that is heard regularly on the soundtrack, are likewise ironic: the characters can never fall in love, but they merely act "like someone in love".

This is sooooo extremely boring movie that I want swear!!! Scenes are pathetic. Girl is looking by the car window. She's looking, looking, looooking... and looking. Granddad is driving, driving, driving and ooo he reached destination after 4 minutes of drive without single world. Other one. Granddad is going out, he is opening the door, we see he is on third floor, going down, he is on on second floor now, down further, first floor and what next? Yuppie he's out! Such a incredible sophisticated scene. There is more such a pearls in this masterpiece. Waste of time! Waste of budget!!! Waste of time! Waste of budget!!! Waste of time! Waste of budget!!!

Well this seems to be the ultimate 'Marmite' movie, that is, you will either love it or hate it. Personally, I loved it - but then I am willing to invest time and patience in a very languorous, slow-moving movie when it's done in the right way. A previous reviewer mentioned that he thought that 'Once Upon a Time in Anatolia' was more successful in its use of the slow burn. I felt myself that once that excellent movie moved back to the city it lost that mystical intrigue and bordered on the ponderous. If I have any criticism of 'Like Someone in Love' it is that I wanted it to go on longer! Most people have mentioned that the abrupt ending comes so unexpectedly and so swiftly that it feels to some like they've been cheated. I can understand that point of view as you want to know how things pan out (and you DON'T) but I don't think Kiarostami is interested in narrative structure in the way that Hollywood would insist upon. His interest lies in identity and concealment and how our behaviour and persona are affected by our relationships with others. And there are not many countries where the real self is more consistently hidden beneath a veneer than Japan.All in all, I was mesmerised, (partly due to the physical beauty of Rin Takanashi and the fragility of her character. The phone message sequence in the taxi is absolutely heartbreaking.) The look of the film had me transfixed also; the reflections on glass windows and the deliberate physical compartmentalisation of the characters was such a vital part of the film's meaning and was also aesthetically beautiful.I can't wait to see it again but I know others may feel differently.

To this day I still do not understand why there are people (most probably "Asianophilic" Caucasians) who try to give meaning to a a Asian film which, for all intents and purposes, just does not have any deep meaningful messages to impart. Because if this was an American or English film, it would have been slated as boring and a waste of time. But just because it is Japanese, there are people who are automatically impressed and seek to find hidden and meaningful truth in something which is actually as empty as the abyss....One reviewer was asking how the fiancé found out the truth in a matter of hours. The answer is, it was not a matter of hours because we already knew that Akiko was meeting him for lunch. And that is presumably how she got her cut, and also how the fiancé knew the old man's address (i.e. he followed them). Funny how the reviewer did not ask why the old man did not call the police.... maybe a hidden meaning somewhere? In any case, I found nothing likable in any of the characters but the one I hated the most was the lead character. Someone who can willingly ignore her Grandmother for the entire day deserves no pity and the fact that she could have met her at the train station (but did not) made me detest her all the more.