User reviews

The movie opens with a hard to watch scene where four would be actresses are auditioning for a dramatic part in a movie, obviously failing and having to endure the cruel barbs and slights of the casting crew. Eriko, in her late twenties, is one of the four. She has been residing in Tokyo for the last ten years expecting a career as an actress that never panned out; she has landed only one paying job in a commercial.

One day she receives a letter notifying her of the death in an accident of her sister Yukiko, six years her senior. Eriko returns to her hometown, pretending to be a successful actress to family and old acquaintances. There are problems to attend to; Yukiko's funeral and custody of Kazuma, Yukiko's ten year old son, the identity of his father unknown to the family. In a very moving scene Eriko discovers that Yukiko followed her meager accomplishments in Tokyo. Perhaps in the hope of coming to terms with her relationship with Yukiko, or just as a glimpse into her dead sister's world, Eriko takes up Yukiko's job. Perhaps the main theme of the movie is grieving and its evolution into meaningful memories of the departed.

I liked this movie but was somewhat put off by the difficulty to identify or sympathize with any of the characters, except perhaps the irrepressible and resourceful Kazuma. I was also intrigued by the title. According to Google Translate, the original means "show off".