37 Seconds (2019)
January 13, 2022 3:25 PM - Subscribe
Yuma is a young Japanese woman with cerebral palsy. Torn between her obligations towards her family and her dream to become a manga artist, she struggles to lead a self-determined life.
I'm normally quite wary of media depictions of the disabled, but 37 Seconds (debut feature by writer-director Hikari) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Instead of defining Yuma (played by newcomer Mei Kayama) solely by her disability, or (worse) using her to make some abled person's "better", 37 Seconds takes us through Yuma's coming-of-age and the sometimes painful renegotiation of her relationship with her mother (played by Misuzu Kanno). Other characters, ranging from kindly sex workers to the enigmatic but supportive Mr. Toshiya, revolve around Yuma - but this is her movie and an amazing performance by a debut actor. The film is unapologetically sweet and forthright, but nonetheless many scenes pack a real punch.
Currently streaming on Netflix Canada. I'm not sure about other countries.
I'm normally quite wary of media depictions of the disabled, but 37 Seconds (debut feature by writer-director Hikari) turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Instead of defining Yuma (played by newcomer Mei Kayama) solely by her disability, or (worse) using her to make some abled person's "better", 37 Seconds takes us through Yuma's coming-of-age and the sometimes painful renegotiation of her relationship with her mother (played by Misuzu Kanno). Other characters, ranging from kindly sex workers to the enigmatic but supportive Mr. Toshiya, revolve around Yuma - but this is her movie and an amazing performance by a debut actor. The film is unapologetically sweet and forthright, but nonetheless many scenes pack a real punch.
Currently streaming on Netflix Canada. I'm not sure about other countries.
It's also on Shudder USA
posted by miss-lapin at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2022
posted by miss-lapin at 3:38 PM on January 13, 2022
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posted by Mogur at 3:26 PM on January 13, 2022