FrogGlace In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

p-gonzo This is a very interesting and well-made film, well worth watching. It has been carefully constructed and bears repeat viewings. The film is set in the 1970's and revolves around a newly orphaned teenage boy who also happens to stutter. Sent to an orphanage, he is teased and almost runs away, until a beautiful, androgynous boy convinces him to join the choir. The dynamic between these boys forms the overall arc of the rest of the film, with the choir itself serving as the vehicle. There is also a subplot involving the choir-master and a female from his political-activist past (this explains the 70's setting), which is more diversionary than effective. One might expect a lot of homo-erotic subtext in such a setting, but it is almost completely played down. Yet then when there is a sudden intrusion of a female choir -- the movie suddenly is all erotic symbolism for one scene, whose only purpose is to trigger the third act (which is a little uneven).The camera sometimes moves too much for its own good and the hand-held is not really necessary, but overall the movie is nicely filmed in rural Japan. The music score is quite beautiful.

foxman2004 I enjoyed watching this film from Japan (with English subtitles). It was one of the first foreign films I have seen with a good plot and storyline. It didn't begin a scene and then skip to something that didn't seem to have anything to do with the first scene. A young teen's father dies, and he is sent to an orphanage. He enters a world that he is not accustomed to. This is a good film to watch. A lot of genuine emotions come from it, as the story unfolds. The acting was very good, and the main characters were well-defined. It was a good portrayal of those things that happen in life: hopes and dreams that may or may not come true.

quarrion I hope that an expert in Japanese literature can inform us here, but isn't this the classic Yukio Mishima formula? I expected to find that it was based on one of his novels, but it does not say this in the IMDB.(Male) Plodder meets (male) Shining Star. Shining Star is physically beautiful male with Dream. Plodder befriends Shining Star and helps him with his Dream. Shining Star becomes more fanatical with Dream. Shining Star frustrated in Dream but won't compromise. Shining Star self-destructs. Plodder left with painful but inspiring memories of Shining Star. If you like this kind of thing, then do see it. Ultimately not very human, but fanaticism never is.On a musical note: If Japanese choirs really rehearse like this, with such discipline and dediction, then we need to take some lessons from them!

sharptongue Lots of bits of this mostly meditative film are quite good. There are beautiful images and some heavenly soundscapes. There is also a promising central story concentrating on the friendship of two odd young boys in a provincial boarding school and their interest in choir music.The standout character is the incredibly effeminate Yasuo, with the angelic high voice and commanding personality. His good friend, the stuttering Michio, doesn't make much of an impression, although he is the main and viewpoint character.But it's a case of good ingredients and mediocre method. The story falls well over the line dividing leisurely and slow, and jumps around too much. The violent episodes in the middle of the film don't quite gel with the usually gentle but sometimes cruel feel of the rest. It ends up being dull and muddled, as well as frustrating, because there was much good material, of which a much better result was quite possible.