I'll preface it now for all of you the movie itself is just miserable from start to finish. Every second of it makes you angry that such a woman can be such an irredeemable person. Now I'm not saying that this is a bad movie, in fact its misery and its ability to fire me up is what makes it such a recommended viewing. The actress who plays the mother is so good at just being the most scummy, despicable person. You feel for these kids that she totally uses as props to further her own agenda. I think the hardest part to watch is that her son takes it and keeps taking it time after time as if under some sort of spell. It's so hard to watch a child's innocence being ripped apart by the very person that gave them life and is suppose to protect them and cherish them. It just hurts to watch.
33 Reviews
Bold Filmmaking on Mental Illness, Trauma, and Familial Bonds
Megan_Shida31 December 2020
This is not an easy film to watch. The director does an excellent job portraying a mother who is suffering from mental illness and the traumatic relationship she has with her son. The viewer is dragged through her erratic and destructive behavior- much like the son is- as we painfully watch the pair experience homelessness, domestic violence, familial rejection, and crime. Ultimately, we are left to grapple with the difficult decisions the son is left to make after knowing nothing but this violent and abusive woman's love.
When there is no hope.
helcio-24 November 2020
The director is sensitive enough to show a family of outcasts (if we can call that human gathering a family), a situation that, although it exists in any society, no country likes to show them in the cinema.
Very good performance in general, notably the boy Shuhei.
Today's Japanese cinema has succeeded the Italian's in the art of unraveling the complicated life of those forgotten by society.
Not easy to watch
melshasu7 November 2020
A movie about codependency, neglect, toxic cicles and learned hopelessness.
It does a very good job at portraying the ugly side of society, it's so heartbreaking that it makes you want to look away (the same way many characters do during the film). But it's quite slow paced, and because it does show the endless cicles of bad decisions and abuse in a realistic way, by the end of it it felt like I was watching the same scene on a loop.
Interesting
Mehki_Girl3 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Filmed in shades of gray, this is the ugly side of Japan (at first I couldn't tell where this was filmed or what language was being spoken.)
Mom, a n'er do well has ostrichized her family and neglects her son and later her daughter.
She lives hand to mouth in tiny, cluttered crappy apartments with no gas to boil water to cook the noodles, and man to man with no one in Japanese society taking much notice. Surprisingly, the grandparents never try to take custody of their grandson.
When someone does finally intervene, mom wants no part. Like most neglectful parents, her children are seen as possessions. And the children become the responsible parent and protective of same.
Mom holds the son close and hostage. Refusing to allow him an education,constantly telling him he'll be bullied. Although, we do see one scene of him in a classroom when he's nearly grown and another testing a book to his sister.
One boyfriend who dumped her when she became pregnant finds her again and reinserts himself into this sad little family.
There's lots of domestic violence and screaming, while little and later teenaged Shuhei looks on, mute, doing whatever he's told.
This is a dreary tale. The sun never shines. It's never warm. The living spaces tiny and cramped and depressing With people incapable or unwilling to change their own lives.
So leading to a tragically inevitable end.
Mom, a n'er do well has ostrichized her family and neglects her son and later her daughter.
She lives hand to mouth in tiny, cluttered crappy apartments with no gas to boil water to cook the noodles, and man to man with no one in Japanese society taking much notice. Surprisingly, the grandparents never try to take custody of their grandson.
When someone does finally intervene, mom wants no part. Like most neglectful parents, her children are seen as possessions. And the children become the responsible parent and protective of same.
Mom holds the son close and hostage. Refusing to allow him an education,constantly telling him he'll be bullied. Although, we do see one scene of him in a classroom when he's nearly grown and another testing a book to his sister.
One boyfriend who dumped her when she became pregnant finds her again and reinserts himself into this sad little family.
There's lots of domestic violence and screaming, while little and later teenaged Shuhei looks on, mute, doing whatever he's told.
This is a dreary tale. The sun never shines. It's never warm. The living spaces tiny and cramped and depressing With people incapable or unwilling to change their own lives.
So leading to a tragically inevitable end.
Sad, but needed.
patrycjaszczepanek18 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
One of the best movies I have ever seen. Very disturbing, from the beginning to the very end, sometimes making it hard to not turn around or to stop insulting the title character Akiko, at the same keeping the viewer occupied by little sparks of hope for the main character - Shuhei to understand his absurdly miserable position.
Irresponsibility, highlighted to unprecedented levels !!
madhukar3030 July 2021
Though this movie may or may not be based on true incidents or real life characters, it is indeed a dark tale, not just dark but pitch black. The titular character Maza or Akkio, played to perfection by Masami Nagasawa left my head spinning and reeling for hours, from the fatal blow I received while watching maza. A deadly and disturbing combination of utter Waywardness, irresponsibility, selfishness, laziness, lies and deceit all rolled into one, sums up the character Akkio. Masa can definitely be a case study for social workers across the world, who work for the betterment of the civil society. Director Tatsushi Ohmori's painstakingly put together tale, definitely makes a bold and rather disturbing impression.
Cinematography is perfect, the ground level camera shots, the steady cam shots and the scenes shot in small and confined spaces, just shows the mettle of the cinematographer. Screenplay is terrific on many levels, it intrigues with the viewer's minds while keeping things interesting. Editing is good and keeps up the necessary pace for the movie lasting 125 minutes. Production design, costumes and makeup are good. Music is sublime and soft. On the acting front Masami Nagasawa steals the show outright, and is ably supported by by a host of decent performances around her.
Overall, I am sure that the judges at Cannes film festival and other top film festivals will be mighty impressed with Masa. But for the average joe like me, I would recommend this movie for viewers who like dark tales or for viewers who would like to try something bizarre and different for the day, instead of regular mundane stuff on tv. Not recommended for family audiences and young impressionable minds. 6.9 stars out of 10 for a dark tale that borders horror, on many occasions, without involving ghosts or vampires. Actually they are in fact nothing in comparison to Akkio.
Cinematography is perfect, the ground level camera shots, the steady cam shots and the scenes shot in small and confined spaces, just shows the mettle of the cinematographer. Screenplay is terrific on many levels, it intrigues with the viewer's minds while keeping things interesting. Editing is good and keeps up the necessary pace for the movie lasting 125 minutes. Production design, costumes and makeup are good. Music is sublime and soft. On the acting front Masami Nagasawa steals the show outright, and is ably supported by by a host of decent performances around her.
Overall, I am sure that the judges at Cannes film festival and other top film festivals will be mighty impressed with Masa. But for the average joe like me, I would recommend this movie for viewers who like dark tales or for viewers who would like to try something bizarre and different for the day, instead of regular mundane stuff on tv. Not recommended for family audiences and young impressionable minds. 6.9 stars out of 10 for a dark tale that borders horror, on many occasions, without involving ghosts or vampires. Actually they are in fact nothing in comparison to Akkio.
Untenable
faer_kr11 November 2020
Do you remember Rousseaou's phrase that the Child is good by nature but it is society that corrupts it? Well here the mother applies and not all of society.
A Japanese drama.
It is about a woman who drags her son to live outside the social norms, spoiling him, while living in a street situation and does everything, except work to survive.
A mother who believes that because they are her children she can do with them and raise them outside of social norms.
Heartbreaking.
Suffocating.
Raw
Zero romanticized.
At times it becomes untenable, you want to enter the screen and save the creatures.
You suffer most of the movie along with the characters.
The everyday life of a well-led life.
The performances to what is expected.
It shows emotional blackmail and the antithesis of what maternal love is.
The end, although it is consistent, leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
He still loves you
alaningle717 November 2020
A very troubled mother travels around Japan with her son and later her new daughter gambling, drinking, sleeping with bad men and avoiding debt collectors. All the time her son seeks stability and education his mother derails his hopes at every turn. A depressing look at co dependency and the spiral of descent which will eventually lead to an unimaginable crime.
Don't waste your time frustrating yourself
kaveriucer20 July 2021
Heartbreaking
sarahamyhill3 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was consoling myself through the entire movie thinking 'at least this woman isn't a real person'. How revolting that this is based on a true story. I felt physically sick finding that out. The movie was as emotionally draining as it was incredibly well-acted. It's a great piece of cinema - kudos to the filmmakers and the actors. It's the best movie I wish I could forget seeing, but have a feeling it'll stick with me for a while. 10 stars.
Some Serious Flaws Prevent it From Being That Much Better
charles-limcw26 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Well acted and generally compelling. However two serious flaws keep one from being immersed in it:
1. The son is overly subservient even into his teens, to the point of being almost empty and lacking believability as a character
2. The sudden jump in timeline with a mere "five years later" at a time when the mother was facing very serious challenges is just ludicrous and downright lazy directing. Suddenly the unborn daughter is now 5 years old and the still robotically subservient son now a teenager ... although still bumming around homeless but all well and healthy?! What?!
While it could be accepted the mother's character as just plain unlikeable and obnoxious and hence not garnering sufficient empathy, the above flaws just bumps one out from being sufficiently involved as is necessary for such movies to work.
If only ...
1. The son is overly subservient even into his teens, to the point of being almost empty and lacking believability as a character
2. The sudden jump in timeline with a mere "five years later" at a time when the mother was facing very serious challenges is just ludicrous and downright lazy directing. Suddenly the unborn daughter is now 5 years old and the still robotically subservient son now a teenager ... although still bumming around homeless but all well and healthy?! What?!
While it could be accepted the mother's character as just plain unlikeable and obnoxious and hence not garnering sufficient empathy, the above flaws just bumps one out from being sufficiently involved as is necessary for such movies to work.
If only ...
Hated the acting
Voloska22 August 2022
Maybe this is personal taste, but I found the performances insufferably cartoonish. It feels like they took anime voice actors and tried to make them act on camera. Couldn't stand the characters and didn't finish watching.
This film is excellent ..possibly because it makes us so angry
garycn-4190121 June 2021
This film touches on so many emotions.. but its VERY good.. some of the very best work coming out of Japan recently and thats saying alot cause theres been a few past few years like Shoplifter thats just been excellent pieces of art...
Speaking of Shoplifter, it very much walks along those lines and dabbles in a bit of taboo of what we vision as typical Japanese society.. They TOO have there problems.. particularly in society when you take away the Manga and Tokyo Idols and all the rest ... This story could be happening on ANY street anywhere.. but the directors and writers chose to tell it from a Japanese angle...
Quite good... +Personal Library.
Speaking of Shoplifter, it very much walks along those lines and dabbles in a bit of taboo of what we vision as typical Japanese society.. They TOO have there problems.. particularly in society when you take away the Manga and Tokyo Idols and all the rest ... This story could be happening on ANY street anywhere.. but the directors and writers chose to tell it from a Japanese angle...
Quite good... +Personal Library.
Well produced, but disturbing.
AJ_McAninch8 November 2020
Brilliantly acted and directed with a horrid storyline that filled me with loathing for this manipulative, narcissistic woman. I wanted to grab that precious son and his sister, and get them away from her. Such a heavy, tragic story about failure on the part of so many people, with the kids once again being the innocent victims. Though it is superior in so many ways, the story and outcome are so upsetting, I don't recommend the film.
Heartbreaking
dinastha7 November 2020
The movie is heartbreaking 💔 😢. To what extent can one love their mother? This movie should have been named horrible mother. My heart breaks for kids who suffer from abusive mother and all the trauma they have suffered.
Unusual in a good way
gdalesmith8 November 2020
The actors did an outstanding job portraying believable characters in a sad story based on actual events circa 2014. The proof, at least for me, is that I watched this entire movie without understanding a single word or being aided by subtitles! The director surely had a lot to do with this as well, and thus also deserves special mention.
Some interesting glimpses of life in Japan ( I think it's Japan). The small but clean facilities provided for homeless people is one example.
Some interesting glimpses of life in Japan ( I think it's Japan). The small but clean facilities provided for homeless people is one example.
Maternal instincts ...
kosmasp25 December 2020
Some women are not fit to be a mother (same goes for some men and not being fit to be a father of course, which can also be witnessed here). It is easy to dismiss the main character here. She makes it easy to not like her. At least at the beginning ... though I'm not sure how much the viewers feelings will change during the duration of the movie.
Her son of course has a different point of view. Always hanging by her side or at least covering for her (no pun intended). This is a tough drama - especially when you consider what the kid has to go through. But the love of ones own mother can be quite strong. At least that is what the movie suggest, there are other cases too and this could easily at any moment go a different way - again no pun intended. Slow paced and dramatic and also as real as it can get - does that sound like something you would like to watch? Be sure beforehand, as to not waste your time (just sayin)
Her son of course has a different point of view. Always hanging by her side or at least covering for her (no pun intended). This is a tough drama - especially when you consider what the kid has to go through. But the love of ones own mother can be quite strong. At least that is what the movie suggest, there are other cases too and this could easily at any moment go a different way - again no pun intended. Slow paced and dramatic and also as real as it can get - does that sound like something you would like to watch? Be sure beforehand, as to not waste your time (just sayin)
Twisted love
ks-605001 January 2021
It's one of the saddest movie I have watched recently. The terrible mother behavior is unacceptable and she do bad things not on her own but ask for her son to do things beneficial to her. I quite surprise the social worker did nothing in this scenario and even not her relatives to report such abuse on the kids goodness. Totally a tragedy and it's a real event.
Heavy stuff!
blinkie19698 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An extremely intense film. I think it's nonsense to give the film a low score because it's disturbing. This movie touched me and made me think (what would I do) so it reached its goal as far as I'm concerned and therefore gets 8 stars from me. what I find annoying in the description of the film on IMDB is that the punch line is already being given away!
A good Japanese drama
DogePelis201515 February 2021
Raw, Painful and sad
ediken4 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I would name this film "an endless nightmare" omg, this movie is really sad, shows how bad can an adult with addiction problems can treat a kid, the way the mother talks to the his child, what he needs to do for her, and the fact that he can only nod and do what she says it is just, frustrating... I do not know how I manager to watch the entire film, poor kid, and the amazing part of this is, that this really happened in the real life... the mother blinded by the obsession with that man, omg... terrible, I do not recommend to watch it unless you have to study the behavior of the people like the mom.
Unconscionable
Foutainoflife5 June 2022
I've only watched a few films that have made me feel such a strong urge to reach through the screen and snatch some wigs and this has made that list.
The emotional, physical and neglectful abuse endured by this child made me sick. This "mother", was outrageous. She was a manipulative, self serving, slothful, worthless excuse of a human being that expected a free ride through life and if sacrificing her child was the way to aquire it, so be it. What's even worse is the people who allowed this behavior to take place without a fight for the welfare of these children. It is an absolute atrocity.
To have pulled such strong emotions out of me says something about how good the film was. The horror of it is the fact that this sort of behavior takes place in the real world. Common decency requires more from those among us who witness such things.
The emotional, physical and neglectful abuse endured by this child made me sick. This "mother", was outrageous. She was a manipulative, self serving, slothful, worthless excuse of a human being that expected a free ride through life and if sacrificing her child was the way to aquire it, so be it. What's even worse is the people who allowed this behavior to take place without a fight for the welfare of these children. It is an absolute atrocity.
To have pulled such strong emotions out of me says something about how good the film was. The horror of it is the fact that this sort of behavior takes place in the real world. Common decency requires more from those among us who witness such things.
Absorbing Study of Mother/Son RElationship
editordan-1704513 December 2020
I thought this was a superb film with excellent acting and absorbing story line - even more so as it is based on a true story. Totally heartbreaking from beginning to end you find yourself wishing Shuhei would up and leave but his mother has stunted him in every way making that idea impossible for him. Highly recommended.
You should wach it if you know someone with narcissistic parents
marthaf-215-3903285 December 2020
Contrary to one of the reviews I have just read, this is not a "japanese subject". This is a universal subject regarding narcissistic parenting and abuse.
Great director, amazing actors. I loved it.
It is disturbing if you have gone through abuse. So useful to discuss about the film with your therapist. Seriously.
Great director, amazing actors. I loved it.
It is disturbing if you have gone through abuse. So useful to discuss about the film with your therapist. Seriously.
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