Review of Sway

Sway (2006)
8/10
Slow paced, beautiful and intelligent
20 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
"Sway" (eng. title) is a genuine example of good Japanese film. It reminded me a lot of titles like "Unagi" and "A Day on the Planet".

Sway depicts an increasingly shattered family after the death of the mother. The younger son, Takeru, goes home to his hometown to visit the funeral. Inevitably, he gets involved in a romance with his ex-girlfriend Chieko, who happens to be the love of his shy, older brother Minoru. Things take a sad turn as Chieko dies and the older brother gets suspected for murder.

The movie focuses on the dynamics between the two brothers, the father and their lawyer uncle who comes to help out. The camera movements are very beautiful and the atmosphere incredibly rich. The pace is slow, as would be expected by Japanese movies of this kind, which gives the viewer time to think and grow into the story as time passes.

Sway contains several unexpected and interesting turns, but is not very action packed. I highly recommend the movie to anyone who liked the titles I mentioned in the beginning.
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