Unloved (2001) Online

"mono no aware" the Japanese phrase for "the phatos of things", although I like the translation of "The melancholy of life" more. I think "mono no aware" describes this film at it's best.

The plot is about 32 year old secretary Mitsuko, who lives a very simple life, devoid of ambition for the company she works for. At work, she meets Eiji, a rich, arrogant and newly divorced businessman who is intrigued by her retiring personality. The relationship doesn't last long, for Eiji forces his posh lifestyle on Mitsuko, who begins to feel very uncomfortable with it. She calls of their relationship and leaves a riddled Eiji behind. While Eiji ponders about the reasons of the breakup, Mitsuko goes on with her social normal lifestyle, just living her life, until she meets a young man at the supermarket, who turns out to be her new neighbor that just moved in. Hiroshi a quiet young care fee guy becomes the new lover of Mistuko, and they connect well. However Eiji can not let go and when he confronts Mitsuko with the breakup in front of Hiroshi, Hiroshi becomes fascinated and intrigued by Eiji's decadence and social status.

Unloved (2001) is a very static movie, it doesn't have much camera movement, which gives the whole thing a very slow feel to it. The grey backgrounds are a perfect match for a depressing and (anti-)social closed Japan. It is here that people worry about their appearance and what kind of status in society they have. The whole feel of the movie, from the cast to the production design calls out "mono no aware". The cast delivers a rather cold play, and it feels like a theatric play which is preformed on film.

Still this movie is worth a viewing for it lays out the problems of Japan which it had since the early 40 and 50. It shows the differences between men and women, and the difference between lifestyle lay outs. Kunitoshi Manda has made a slow, static,yet interesting movie. Please also take notice of the music composed by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in a Shell 1 and 2, Patlabour and Avalon). His long synth strings give the movie the finishing touch of melancholy.

An average 30-something bank worker, content with her modest and highly routine life, accepts, and then later abruptly rejects, the love of a confident high-powered businessman who would upgrade her lifestyle. Not alone for long, she soon connects with a slightly lost, insecure, younger neighbor, who is learning to play electric guitar and who sometimes plays hookie from his low-level job at a courier service. UNLOVED explores the motivations of all three members of this modern-day Japanese love triangle.

I found UNLOVED to be slow and stoic. It reminded me of the artsy French drama films of the late 1960's. Although I really enjoyed the first 30 minutes, I can't recommend the movie as a whole.