Film

Love and Lies (2017) Japanese Movie Review

Koi To Uso

• Genre: School, Youth, Relationship, Melodrama, Futuristic
• Date Released: October 2017
• Japanese film

Cast:

• Morikawa Aoi as Nisaka Aoi
• Kitamura Takumi as Shiba Yuto
• Sato Kanta as Takachiho Sosuke

 

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This film, I thought, is a bit of propaganda for arranged marriage. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Anyway, in a future Japan, it became a task for the government to match up their citizens.

As soon as a girl or a boy turns 16, they receive notification from the government of their most suitable partner.

Apparently, 80 percent of these match-ups work in the long run compared to just half if an individual chooses for himself/herself.  Yap, one is allowed to choose one’s partner and turn down the government recommendation as well.  The government is not too draconian.

Anyway, Aoi was only days away from her sixteenth birthday.  She was giddily awaiting her birthday and partner as her friends have settled relationships already from the government’s match-up.

Aoi had a childhood friend Yuto, who knows her inside and out.  He knew all her idiosyncrasies, what makes her tick and all that.  He was kind and absolutely devoted to her.

On the night of her turning 16, Yuto asked Aoi is she was sure about having a match up partner.  He then confessed that he likes her and why not settle for him.

At that same time, Sosuke, the partner turned up.  He was the son of a hospital owner.

Sosuke was tall, cool, and rather aloof.   Aoi was enchanted.  She forgot what Yuto was saying.

Aoi was really into Sosuke for most of the film.

But she later found out that Yuto was very ill.  He has a stage 3 brain tumor.  She realised that she actually loved Yuto and run away from her wedding to Sosuke (with his consent).

There she went to the airport and reconciled with Yuto.

They had a good life. Very happy.

Then the credits started to appear.

But if you wait out the credits, there is a bittersweet ending.

Aoi was laying some fresh flowers on Yuto’s grave.  while she was praying another person appeared and it was Sosuke with a bunch of flowers as well.

They had a stilted mini-conversation and then Aoi said she was going.

As she was walking away, Sosuke shouted if she wanted to go get something to eat.

Ahhh So the government program works.  Yuto was not paired with Aoi to begin with because he was not healthy.  And Sosuke remained interested in her.