FIRST LOVE (Hatsukoi)

Director: Takashi Miike

2019, Japan, 108, NR

Screenwriter: Masa Nakamura

Cast: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Sakurako Konishi, Becky.

 

Has the king of kinetic mayhem, with 103 movies under his belt, finally made a film with a sweet love story with more than a little mainstream appeal? We’d say yes, according to the rhapsodic reception it won at the Cannes Film Festival. Sure, Japanese director Takashi Miike starts his valentine to first love with a beheading, but the story of a dying young boxer and a young woman forced into sex work hits all the right notes. If they can survive one night of infighting between rival gangs, corrupt cops, and a psychopathic assassin played by Becky, maybe they really can have it all…

“Miike’s seemingly offhand inventiveness is evident in almost every shot and cut. When he depicts one crucial piece of action in animated form, it may be because the shots would have been too expensive in live-action. The effect is so cool it doesn’t matter. That’s part of what makes this director special, and makes “First Love” an unusually satisfying romp.” – Glenn Kenny NYT Critic’s Pick