(Jmoview Review) The Man From The Sea

Original title: Umi wo Kakeru ( 海を駆ける)

Director: Koji Fukada

Writer: Koji Fukada

Producer: Naoko Komuro

Cinematographer: Akiko Ashizawa

Release date: May, 26, 2018

Runtime: 107 minutes

Genre: Fantasy, drama, slice of life

Distributor: Tokyo theaters

Casts:

Dean Fujioka as Laut/ Rau

Taiga as Takashi

Junko Abe as Sachiko

Mayu Tsuruta as Atsuko

Adipati Dolken as Christ

Sekar Sari as Irma/ Iruma

I was eager to watch the movie as soon as I heard that most of the shooting setting would be in Indonesia, my home country. Plus, Dean Fujioka is the lead actor here. After watching Please Love Me (Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai), his name is always my alert to watch his next projects. :D

The movie starts from someone being stranded in an island, naked and unconscious. The man later is the main issue in the movie. People who found him trusted him to a family from Japan who has lived in Indonesia for quite some time. The man is believed from Japan regarding his physical appearance and some news stated a Japanese has gone missing. 

Laut/ Rau is being observed by a doctor

The family then named him as Laut or Rau. Laut in Bahasa Indonesia means sea. Rau probably is the easy way for Japanese people to pronounce since L is quite difficult for them to pronounce. The family consists of a mother, Atsuko, and her son, Takashi. The father has been away somewhere (I’m not sure :D) Atsuko, together with her son, Takashi, works for disaster recovery after tsunami attacked Aceh, Indonesia. To get the identity of Laut, they get help from media, including two college students who study about journalism. They are Christ and Iruma. 

Welcome to Indonesia with millions of motorcyclists

A modified motor to carry passengers

A truck is common to carry animals, but carrying people is fine, too :D

From the beginning, Laut has shown his mysterious behavior. When he was on the way to get to his shelter house, he screamed melodiously that some caught fish got restless and some of them jumped back into the sea. He seems to have mysterious power that can heal sick people, and even relive some dying plants. After some time, it appears that he enjoys living together with Atsuko and family. But, some research about his identity is still going.

Until one day, a reporter got Laut have a press conference. The press is like humming mosquitoes for him that make him decide to do something…

Laut/ Rau is showing his mysterious power

Well, I can say I’m a bit disappointed with the movie. The story line seems messy and the scenes have too much silence that made me yawn several times. I wonder what kind of power Laut got, how Laut got his power, but my questions left unanswered. Instead, some parts of the movie focused on slight romance between Takashi- Iruma, and Christ- Sachiko, Takashi’s cousin. I’m sorry to say, it’s too cheesy for this kind of movie that I expect to be more than this.

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However, I really love to see Aceh in this movie. I, myself, have never been in this town. But the view here is amazing. Not to mention when Sachiko looked for some views of photos taken by her late father. It might be a good promotion for people to visit the place. The beach, the island, the trees, the cliff are stunning. Besides, some traditional culture is shown here, too. For example, the kitchen and the kitchen utensils are really Indonesian :D I laughed aloud when I saw Takashi had his meal putting one of his legs on the chair :D There is also a burial ceremony that might be not common in other countries. Don’t forget the outfit! Yes, I appreciate Atsuko who really looks Indonesian with her kebaya, sarong and scarf (that can be used as headdress, like female Moslem). Aceh is known as Mecca porch as most of people living there are Moslem.  Some Japanese culture is here, too, like welcoming Sachiko by throwing a party and having fireworks (feels like hanabi festival). :D

Mayu Tsuruta wearing Moslem headdress

One thing I really appreciate is the actors, Taiga and Mayu Tsuruta. Their bahasa Indonesia is really awesome, with some Japanese accent, of course. They really worked hard on it. Not only their pronunciation, they also nail the intonation very well. Junko Abe’s English is really good. It’s quite for me to find Japanese actors/ actresses who can speak English really well. Unfortunately, the audio is not really good, I can say, it’s terrible. I had to wear headset to listen carefully. Thanks to those who provided the subtitle, especially the scenes when Atsuko and Takashi speak Bahasa Indonesia. The one I watched has Japanese subtitle, too

Well, I recommend this move for those who want to see Dean Fujioka (well, he doesn’t really perform well here, I assume). Don’t expect too much on the story line, but it’s still worth watching. IMHO. I love Dean’s innocent expression, though. The interaction between Sachiko and Christ seems awkward, so does Irma-Takashi. Adipati Dolken is a promising actor in Indonesia. I love his performance in Posesif, but I wonder why he didn’t give his best here. Well, overall, just give a try on this 107-minute-movie. Who knows you would enjoy it more than I do.

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