Sunday, September 6, 2020

NYAFF Capsules: BASEBALL GIRL and BENEATH THE SHADOW

BASEBALL GIRL
Lee Joo-young plays a young woman who refuses to give up on her dream of becoming a professional baseball team. Fighting through chauvinism she refuses to give up her dream.

Solid and some what by the numbers sports tale is lifted up several notches by the  work of Lee Joo-young who disappears into her roll so much that she drags us along despite having a good idea how this is going to play out. It is her work makes this a must see.

BENEATH THE SHADOW
Pretentious art house film concerns two work friends who develop a close bond, when one of them goes missing it throws the other into a tizzy.

Dripping with meaning and symbolism at every turn this wildly over long film struggles to say something in light of the 311 disaster. I wouldn't have minded so much but the film is trying way too hard to be about something deep. Honestly director Otomo Keishi should have relaxes a little since his previous films, even the Rurouni Kenshin films (of which he's scheduled to make 2 more) said more  by trying less hard

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