'Just think of it like this. There are people like me in this world," explains Chihiro to one of her close friends when she makes a comment about her odd lifestyle -- a loner hardly showing real emotion and unattached to love and relationships with people. "I believe each one of us came from different planets, so no wonder we can't understand each other. Isn't it easier to think that way?"
Talented Japanese actress Kasumi Arimura returns to feature films in the Rikiya Imaizumi drama Call Me Chihiro, which tells the story of Chihiro, a bento lunch shop employee who moves into a small seaside town away from the hustle and bustle of city life. She becomes known in the community for her past as a sex worker. Despite struggling to move on, Chihiro has a unique way of looking at the world and leading a new life. We follow her character as she slowly wins over the love and respect of the locals. With realistically detailed themes of existentialism and family, the slow-paced drama with both uplifting and heartbreaking tones makes it one of the most inspiring Japanese movies in recent years.
The way this film is shot, especially its aesthetics, is beautiful and gives the audience a feeling of serenity. The cinematography makes use of long-take techniques and focuses on the landscapes and nature of the small town. If you're a fan of this distinct style by other Japanese directors like Hirokazu Koreeda, then you will love this one as well. Also, if you're familiar with this style of Japanese film in general, you will know there isn't really a main story. It features characters just living their lives and slowly being influenced by Chihiro's personality. So the lack of a central narrative can be confusing for some. The movie takes its time and it feels like a slice-of-life type of story.
While the story does focus on many characters over the course of the movie, the main protagonist Chihiro is the heart and soul behind everything that makes this movie so interesting. The way they write her character is complex and unique. From the beginning, Chihiro's status as an outcast is quickly evident based on her eccentricities, from spending time alone in a park and befriending just about everyone she meets to the way she likes to walk on ledges instead of pavements. She helps and interacts with a variety of strangers such as a homeless man, an elementary school student and a sick woman in a hospital. However, her actions also carry this aura of sadness as if she is hiding or running away from something which becomes more evident over the course of the story. This told me that she is different from everyone else, and it made me intrigued to learn more about her. Actress Arimura, whose versatile talent we have seen in movies such as We Made A Beautiful Bouquet (2021), Life's Punchline (2021) and last year's Phases Of The Moon, yet again portrays such a complex character so well.
I also liked the way the film addresses the facet of career or choices in life. Despite Chihiro's past life as a sex worker and the stigma associated with this, her character does not regret her past but instead moves on from it to pursue a new life. The film doesn't over-emphasise her sexuality but treats it like it was any other job she had to do to make a living.
Instead of featuring a couple of supporting characters, the movie uses a bunch of them and it is amazing to see the movie juggle them with minimal effort. All of them have their own role to play in the story and affect Chihiro's character in various ways. Each of them is dealing with their own baggage. For example, Okaji (Hana Toyoshima), a high school student, feels alienated by her family and current friend group. After meeting Chihiro, she decides to change her life and connect better with people who are different from what she's used to.
The film is a study of inspiring characters as Chihiro influences other people's lives while trying to make sense of her own. It is a complex, open-hearted examination of people's feelings of loneliness and the urge to connect with a world full of strangers who are much more likely to misunderstand you. The movie shows how empowering freedom can be once people take advantage of it and live life on their terms without worrying much about how others think or contending with naysayers along the way. Chihiro remains an inspiring example of this fact. Call Me Chihiro is definitely one of the better thought-provoking and well-made Japanese dramas Netflix has put out in recent years.
- Call Me Chihiro
- Starring Kasumi Arimura, Hana Toyoshima, Lily Franky
- Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi
- Now streaming on Netflix
