DIRECTOR: TAKEHIKO SHINJO; LEAD CAST: KENTO
YAMAZAKI, SUZU HIROSE, ANNA ISHII, TAISHI NAKAGAWA; SCREENWRITER: YUKARI TATSUI (ORIGINAL STORY BY
NAOSHI ARAKAWA); MUSIC: MASARU YAKAYAMA; PRODUCER: JUICHI EUHARA, KASUMI YAO; GENRE: TEEN ROMANCE, MUSIC, MANGA
COMIC STORY; CINEMATOGRAPHER: MITSURU KOMIYAMA; DISTRIBUTOR: TOHO; LANGUAGE: JAPANESE (WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES) LOCATION: JAPAN; RUNNING
TIME: 122 minutes
Technical assessment: 3.5
Moral assessment: 3
CINEMA rating: V14
Since his mother’s death when
he was a young boy, piano prodigy Kousei Arima (Kento Yamazaki) has refused to
play the piano. Blaming himself for the
death of his mother’s who was his mercilessly strict piano teacher, he is
consumed with guilt, and claims he has lost his ability to hear his playing in
spite of his otherwise perfect sense of hearing. He continues school, maintaining his
friendship with childhood friends Tsubaki (Anna Ishii) and Watari (Taishi Nakagawa),
but daily retires to his monochromatic, monotonous world, far removed from his glorious
past when he was known as a “human metronome” for his exceptional piano playing
skills. One day when the cherry blossoms
are in peak bloom, Kaori Miyazono (Suzu Hirose) enters Kousei’s life. Kaori is a free spirit, and it shows in her
verve in playing the violin. She is
entering a violin competition, and wants Kousei to accompany her on the piano.
Known in Japan as “Shigatsu
wa Kimi no Uso”, Your Lie in April
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa, and has
had an anime television series adaptation.
As a full length feature film, it can stand shoulder to shoulder with
some of the better teen romance films of recent memory, with cinematography
that enhances the beauty of the setting without overpowering the plot. Fresh faces, simple, straightforward dialogue,
and seemingly unstudied performances add to the credibility of the story while
preventing it from descending into melodrama.
Outstanding are the recitals that focus on the pianist and the
violinist. All throughout the concerts
the viewer cannot but believe that the actors themselves are actually playing
their instruments onstage, otherwise there is the film editor to thank for the
seamless job.
--> Your Lie in April is saying something about obsessive parents who demand perfection and superhuman performance from very young children. Kousei’s mother may have had his best interest in mind, but circumstances may not always be kind, thus the trauma and psychological imbalance the boy goes through as a result of his mother’s misguided discipline threaten the very future of the child. But there is hope, the movie shows, and the boy’s recovery also stems from his very trauma—just as certain as spring follows winter. No spoilers coming; suffice it to say that Kaori the violinist has a secret—she lied in springtime, in April when the landscape is pink with cherry blossoms, a lie that is to be uncovered when the dying blossoms are falling to the ground.
