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In Japanese with English & Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Kazuaki Ue
Cast: Mao Inoue, Jonathan Sherr, Masato Irie,
Takumi Bando, Dante Carver, Patrick Harlan, Daijiro Kawaoka,
Jun Kunimura, Ryôko Kuninaka
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Released By: Encore Films & GV
Rating: PG
Official Website:
http://www.encorefilms.com/darling
Opening Day: 16 September 2010
Synopsis:
Based on the best-selling manga sensation in Japan, MY DARLING
IS A FOREIGNER tells the quirky story of a Japanese girl who
meets and falls in love with an American guy. Saori (Mao Inoue)
is an aspiring manga artist while Tony (Jonathan Sherr) is
a language nerd obsessed with the Japanese language. The couple
tentatively pursue their courtship, which is fraught with
hilarious miscues, differing expectations and misunderstandings
of each other’s culture. Can ‘international romances’
such as this have a happy ending?
Movie Review:
The notion of having a gaijin (short-form of foreigner in
Japanese) as boyfriend is not new. However what sets the film
apart from films that concentrate on intercultural interactions
is that it is adapted from a manga, which is a truthful account
of the author’s own intercultural relationship experience!
The movie does not go into great detail as to how these two
starkly different (figuratively and literally speaking) people
got together in the first place. It is as though we must expect
the two people who happen to cross path at work to eventually
end up together and attain the boyfriend-girlfriend status.
However let us not nit-pick at it and recognize that the film
has to be fundamentally different from the manga itself! It
is but 100-min short so some things have to be forgone and
we are thus saved from being bombarded by the laborious process
of them getting together.
What is endearing is that this film has accurately captured
the essence of inter-cultural communication, especially the
Japanese as opposed to Americans. From communicating plainly
with words versus communicating with 'eye power', to interpreting
meaning of the conversation based on the words used versus
interpreting the conversation by feeling the climate and context
of the conversation, et cetera. Then we are also presented
with the stereotypes that Japanese have on gaijin and vice
versa. The challenges faced by non-native Japanese speakers
on wordplay, pronunciation, articulation and idiom usage were
amongst one of the many illustrations as well. The plot mechanics
may look sloppy at first glance, but they were rather purposefully
planned to achieve the intended intention: to show the gulf
that exists in the intercultural communication with the myriad
of real-life illustrations. Moreover, the differences that
were highlighted are pretty hilarious and evoke laughter.
Some say the narrative is rather predictable and dull. True
enough, that could possibly be the case but it was salvaged
with some decent acting from Inoue Mao and her counterparts.
You may have known her previously for her role in Hana Yori
Dango (aka Boys Before Flowers). There was an especially affecting
scene that had a close-up shot of her, and made emphasis the
emotions on countenance. It does not necessarily mean that
the 'personalized effect' could be achieved just by taking
a close-up shot; it was Inoue Mao who made it enduring and
makes one empathize and question why love has to be so bittersweet.
Veterans Ryoko Kuninaka and Jun Kunimura are also praise-worthy
in terms of their acting, though their appearances are brief.
Again, this film could be criticized for having an over-glamorized
outlook on intercultural relationships and eventually marriage.
However, let’s also not forget that narrative was essentially
written by the female protagonist, who may be skewed in the
way she perceives her darling for the very fact that she is
so very in love with him! As such, the cinematic adaptation
does a pretty good job in trying to maintaining the balance,
at best trying to present both sides of the story.
Consequently, this is but a light-hearted and tender loving
movie that is not particularly thought provoking. It’s
interesting to note that the targeted audience are young women.
Therefore to achieve success in this segment of the demographics,
the movie had a lovely and cotton-candy sweet atmosphere towards
the end. That being said, if you are expecting to watch a
highly sophisticated film with mature theme and content, this
one probably made a big miss. It is more suitable for those
who are just seeking for a movie that has a soothing effect.
Movie Rating:
 
(Watching it from the eyes of a gaijin, this
is a pleasurable and enjoyable film that brings you back to
the basics of love)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
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