I came upon this drama with the expectation that it's going to be a comedy. It is light-hearted and cute nonetheless. The humor, if it can be called as such, comes from the depiction of the main character's awkwardness. Itomichi (2021) is a 'coming-of-age' film about music. But it's also about family, community, expressing one's self, and how to survive in this pecuniary world while keeping one's dreams alive. Ito is a high school girl who grows up in a household where the women of the family have been shamisen performers for generations. She is shy and withdrawn, owing to her heavy hometown accent. Nevertheless she is hard-headed whenever she wants to do something. "I play as I like," she remarks later on in the film with regards to her shamisen playing style. This hard-headedness manifests one day in her desiring to join a maid cafe. The pacing of this film can be deemed as slow. There are pauses for example, spaces between the exchanging of words, that feel too long. It is not an emotionally-bombastic film, but there is a kind of intensity to it. The main dilemma I think is Ito's desire to express herself, to open up to others, especially with regards to things that she deems too personal and melancholic. The build-up to the final part which is her performance is well-done. We see the characters working together, and the community's response to this is satisfying.
29 AUG 2022
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