Vibrator (2003) User Reviews

Did you say something?

[Meganeguard · 8/10 · 21 August 2005]

Director: Hiroki Ryuichi Duration: 95 minutes

This film opens in a convenience store where the pretty, but exhausted looking, Hayakawa Rei finishes off her daily ritual by purchasing a bottle of wine and a bottle of gin. A bit unstable, Rei continuously talks to herself and is almost unable to distinguish if she speaks out loud or not. The alcohol helps to silence the voice in her head, but it always returns. While browsing the bottles and wondering why there is no red German wine available, a trucker wanders into the store and Rei becomes entranced with his boots that look like those of a fisherman. The trucker immediately notices that Rei has an interest in him, so he wanders by her and taps her on the backside before returning to his truck. Rei follows and the two strangers soon engage in a sex.

The next day, instead of heading back home to her job as a freelance writer for magazines, Rei asks the trucker, Takatoshi, if she can accompany him on his deliveries. Takatoshi agrees and soon the couple begins their journey across the frosty winter back roads of Japan's countryside. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the country Rei and Takatoshi tell each other of their struggles, Rei, besides being an alcoholic is also bulimic and Takatoshi tells of his days working for the yakuza. Rei seems to be happy, but her inner demons soon overpower her. Can a bleached-blond trucker truly help her?

Based on a novel by Akasaka Mari, Vibrator is a highly sexualized film without being raunchy. The scene where Rei and Takatoshi sit together in a bathtub is very touching. Taking place almost exclusively in the environs of Takatoshi's truck, the film is little more than a dialogue between two characters, however, it is quite an enjoyable trip watching the relationship between the two characters grow. The film also has an awesome soundtrack. Check it out if you get the chance.

Touching.

[lilyphilia-1 · 8/10 · 15 August 2006]

I can honestly say that the moment this movie began, I was drawn in by the coldness of Shinobu's voice... The entire message of the movie, in my opinion, is a beautiful one-- one of rebirth and renewal in one's life, and the decision to live for the better. True, the film contains long filler clips of scenery and music-- but that only gives the viewer time to take in what they've seen along the ride of VIBRATOR.

The previous reviewer of this movie states that it was absolutely horrible... But I find an artistic quality to it that touched me on a personal level. The film grasps concepts of the longing women have to fit in-- seeking out beauty by destroying ones' body, and so on. But throughout the movie a metamorphosis takes place, and Shinobu realizes that she is no longer alone and has something in her life that she should live for.

If you're into action flicks, or movies that are easy to comprehend, then I don't suggest VIBRATOR for you. However, if you've enjoyed films such as 'Last Life in the Universe' or perhaps, 'All About Lily Chou-Chou' in the past, then I would recommend this movie. There are a lot of deep messages hidden deep within the plot, and I had a fun time discovering them.

Enjoyable road picture

[sixteen-nine · 25 April 2004]

Rei is a freelance writer embattled by personal demons. We first meet her in a convenience store where she is buying too much alcohol and not enough food. At the magazine rack she pauses to contemplate the happiness of the glamour girls on the glossies for which she writes. Only later do we realize that this is self-reflection. A chance encounter with truck driving Takatoshi, leads to a two day romp of sex, friendship and introspection. It's unclear if what happens to her is the product of her writer self imagining it all as a magazine serial (hence the inter-titles and voice of the narrator).

The relationship has a certain healing sweetness that comes out in simple daily pleasures of Japanese life, like a bath or a bowl of hot soba on a cold winter's day. It's a little fluffy, but this seems to be an intentional point of the story: the musings of a glamour writer reaching out to the young readers who struggle in silence with the pain brought on by the ultra-thin, ultra-beautiful ideal put forward by the magazines for which she writes.

In the end, it's a road-buddy picture that gives Western viewers a taste of the complex Japanese landscape that is both brilliant in its natural beauty and frightening in its industrialization.

a very well done film

[production-142 · 9/10 · 26 December 2006]

I read the last comment, and I wonder what film that person saw, or what planet they're from. This film was fun, it was interesting, and it was thoughtful.

If the previous reviewer is so myopically wrapped in his/her Pennsylvania experience, then don't comment on foreign-made films.

This film uses a couple of interesting personality quirks of the female lead to open interesting doors that seem to lead to a bit of peace, maybe a bit of satisfaction for her, and then, in the end...?? what is it we really find? The cinematography is well done. The story is funny, quirky, with an urban edge that transcends Japan with universal images, fears, expectations and situations.

And it does it all with two main characters... ;-)

This is truly one of my favorite films; i've worked in the industry for many, many years now, and have access to films that many folks don't get to see, and to edits and versions that are many times better than the final public releases. I truly enjoyed this quaint, quirky, sometimes sexy, often naughty, youthfully edgy film from Japan.

Meditative and intimate

[brownralphshort · 10/10 · 18 February 2005]

One of the best films of the year (released 2003 although I saw it at the International Film Festival in San Francisco). Meditative, intelligent, intimate, the film addresses, realistically, I felt, what it feels like to feel lost. The sexual encounters, the truck driving sequences, the breakdown episodes, the scattered moments of shared and nearly unexplainable joy and/or release all feel real. Great, great film. Highly recommended.

In response to the first reviewer of this film, I can only say that some people like fast-paced movies and some like slow-paced movies and some like both. If you only like faster paced movies, this probably isn't for you. If you like to have a movie that is a little crunchy, a little gritty, then see it. Not for those who are easily offended or bored.

immature minimalism

[azures3 · 4/10 · 23 July 2007]

Someone commented that this movie may be enjoyed by lonely middle aged women who read Cosmopolitan. Well I am a middle aged woman, but I read Mojo and Mother Jones - funny because about twenty minutes into this film I found myself wondering if this movie was made for twentysomething women who demand to be taken seriously, but are a little emotionally stunted.

I thought this film was really shallow and bloated in its minimalistic approach to convey characters that were humorless, colorless and poorly sculpted. And I love minimalism and road movies. The bathroom scene made me cringe with its haunty tinkle tinkle piano music - Rei thinks to herself, "Why does this man understand me?" Gee I don't have a clue. I'd like to understand you, but I need just a teeny bit more meat to chew in order for me to care.

I've liked Japanese pop/alt/rock for some time and I thought this soundtrack was sad, I mean bad. The song about all the trash and the snow and the snowy trash was perfect for this film. It tried to say something by saying not much and lyrically, to me, came off as laughable.

Vibrator made me wonder if perhaps because of thousands of years of culturally imposed emotional repression, this film does in some way represent a Japanese "new wave" and if it takes baby steps, then director Hiroki is at least crawling pretty well. But the film is sort of like Rei's first upchuck - half digested watery booze and few bits of artificially colored snack chips.

Beautiful

[Dante_ · 9/10 · 10 October 2006]

I really think a couple of the other comments about this film have been a bit harsh. Sure it's not for everyone. It is slow paced (but in the best possible way) and gentle...and a truly beautiful gem of a film. And if you like that kind of film you're in for a treat.

The character development is so delicate that it is a real pleasure to watch their journey unfold. To me everything about this film was beautiful, if a little sad at times. Even the sex scenes were inoffensive.

Shinobu Terajima and Nao Omori are amazing and their on screen chemistry is (for me) the key to what makes this story such a joy to watch. I think this is one of those films that you will either love or hate (literally), but give it a try because if you love it, this wonderful story will stay with you long after the credits have ended.

Don't waste your time

[sararosspa · 1/10 · 12 April 2004]

I made the mistake of being sucked in by glowing reviews and saw this film at the Philadelphia film festival a few days ago. It was apparently reviewed as THE BEST Japanese film of the year by a few Japanese film critics. Moreover the Philadelphia Film Festival review touted it as a "must see" for those interested in modern Japanese cinema. This movie was truly horrible. I'm foreign film fanatic and usually enjoy the relatively slow pace of most foreign films vis-a-vis the A.D.D-ness of Hollywood films, but this film was painful. Character development was nonexistent. There were minutes and minutes of filler scenes of a truck driving across Japan. The dialog was banal and the use of voice overs annoying. If this is the best that Japanese cinema has to offer (and I know it isn't!) this would be the last Japanese film I'd see ever. Horrible, horrible, horrible.

Not What Its Title Implies!

[doug_park2001 · 9/10 · 25 May 2013]

Some would-be viewers will avoid "Vibrator" simply because of the title; others will view it for that very reason. Either way, that could be a mistake. Don't get me wrong: There's some sex and passion here, but VIBRATOR's definitely NOT a "nasty film" per se. It's more a dual character study of two very different people who meet by accident and what they gain by doing so. Shinobu Terashima convincingly plays Rei, an introverted, hard-drinking, and reclusive writer who meets Takatoshi, a free-spirited, hard-edged, yet compassionate truck driver equally well-played by Nao Omori, and on a whim decides to ride with him on his rounds across the main Japanese island of Honshu. It's a quiet, subdued movie, and its wintertime scenery is bleakly beautiful.

It's hard to review this film without making it sound dull and/or depressing, but I found it to be neither. Although it's funny in places, "Vibrator"'s overall mood is simultaneously sad and uplifting. People who want lots of tension and dramatic action may be disappointed here: There's no violence, surprising reversals, or any of that kind of stuff. "Vibrator" remains, however, one of the most convincing and gripping slice-of-life pieces I have ever seen. There is something very genuine about the way it shows Rei getting out of herself in a much-needed way for just a little while. I sincerely wish that there were more films like "Vibrator."

emotional character study of a mentally unstable woman

[Wandar · 10/10 · 27 September 2011]

A beautifully emotional, character driven film! Don't let the title or the seemingly porn-like plot fool you; this is not an overly erotic film. It is about the internal struggles of two lonely people who make a connection based on the need for physical closeness and acceptance. Though most likely just a cell phone reference lost in translation, I like to think the title refers to their use of each other. Though not deceitful nor malicious and perhaps even unknown to their conscious minds, they were only seeking self-gratification. This film deserves all its 21 awards plus more. Shinobu Terajima's role of Rei is the best portrayal of a mentally unstable young woman! The spoken stream of consciousness entwined with short written blurbs was a brilliant representation of her conscious narration in contrast to the uncontrollable thoughts in her head. It's refreshing that this disturbed character wasn't defined by a uniquely tragic past. The flashbacks aid in giving us a glimpse inside her mind, but we get few hints as to the cause of her angst. I think this lack of understanding is what the character herself feels. In the beginning she states, "I don't know why. No one ever hit me." and in the end, "I lust after the hand that knew violence." Perhaps it would be easier to accept herself and her problems if there were an obvious reason for them. This story unravels perfectly from its quirky beginning through its emotional climax to its absolutely flawless ending. It isn't contrived or glorified. The characters aren't changed by a magical epiphany nor will they live happily ever after. It's obvious the character Rei is not miraculously cured because she still buys the wine, gin, and ice cream that she went to the store for in the beginning. The difference is her attitude, her whistle signifying the transmission is over but not to worry. Her life may still be in shambles but she'll survive because, now that she knows someone else can accept her despite her neuroses, she's hopeful that she may be able to accept herself as something good.

Incredible movie don't miss it

[BICHOLUCA · 25 May 2004]

I recently saw this movie at the Barcelona Asian Film Festival 2004, I really was astonished. I think that it deals with the self confidence and the self opinion of people in a very delicate way. It also went deep inside myself. This surely is not universal but I highly recommend this movie. The person I was with didn't like it. I guess it's a question of identification. Either you get identified with the character or not. This is a radical (but delicate movie). Cannot think of a better way to deal with this themes Also a perfect example to learn how to shoot a digital low cost high quality movie.

Remarkably Boring!

[krvmshow · 2/10 · 28 June 2004]

Vibrator is a movie I'd like to forget. A movie where the fake-outs and plot twists get faked-out and twisted-over so you're right back where you started. A movie that transfers, seamlessly, from grotesquely silent anal sex sequences to intricately technical discussions over the innermost workings of CB radio.

There are shots in this film that make you wonder if the projectionist accidentally spliced in thousands upon thousands of identical frames. Characters sit, silently eating soup, for up to and including ten minutes at a time. It's like watching paint dry, only at some point in the course of the first act, the paint is already dry, and you just sit around watching paint for two hours!

Vibrator is truly remarkable in its refusal to tell a story, to grab your attention, or event to through in a shred of music every now and then! For a movie with practically two speaking parts, you might figure it to be a characters study, but that would involve actually wiggling some effort in the way of character development.

Vibrator never surmounts to anything. The cinematography, flashy at best, is reminiscent of a Mitsubishi commercial, sans-techno. The main players do fine, but are given virtually no material to play to an audience with. Characters cry, and you just watch them. You don't feel them.

I walked out of the late-night screening of Vibrator from the LA Film Festival feeling drastically cheated.

A terrible movie

[sarandos-1 · 1/10 · 9 January 2005]

I saw Vibrator as part of a film festival in Greece.

It was truly one of the worst movies of all time. The show at a supermarket, where the two stars meet and immediately "hit off", proceeding to a sex scene in the back of the man's truck. For the whole movie, the viewer watches the "road trip" that follows. Images of the Japanese countryside are all this film has to offer, and beyond that, chaos.

I personally gave up on the film when the duo started a conversation on CB technology, which lasted about five minutes film time and truly wrecked my nerves.

I have no idea who might find this film interesting. Lonely middle-aged women who read Cosmopolitan might perhaps find the film expresses their own ambitions about life, like going around with a truck driver, talking about CBs and the futility of things and the like. There is no "deeper symbolism" in this film, no "high-level cultural event" here. This is a film that deserves the under 100 people who have seen it worldwide.

If you're a road movie maniac, go and see it. You might find it less horrible than I did. If not, pass. Heavens, STAY AWAY!