The Village (2023) Movie Review

The Village – Movie Review

Director: Michihito Fujii

Writer: Michihito Fujii (Screenplay)

Cast

Ryûsei Yokohama (Your Eyes Tell)
Haru Kuroki (Wolf Children)
Arata Furuta (13 Assassins)
Shidô Nakamura (Red Cliff)

Plot: Yu Katayama is a young man who lives in the remote, but beautiful village Kamonmura. He has lived there since he was a child and is unable to leave due to an incident in his past. To pay off his mother’s debt, Yu works in a garbage disposal facility nearby. He lives without a dream or hope in his life. One day, Misaki Nakai returns to Kamonmura from Tokyo. Yu and Misaki were childhood friends. Her return changes Yu.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Village starts as we meet Yu (Yokohama), he lives in a remote village working at the garbage dump. He keeps to himself while trying to help his mother through her addiction problems. One day, an old school friend Misaki (Kuroki) returns to the village to help in the offices at the dump.

Yu continues to keep to himself until Misaki starts to try and help him come out of his shell. She looks to let him understand what happened in his past, has nothing to do with him.

Verdict on The Village

The Village is a drama following a young man who believes he has no hope for his future. However, this changes when an old childhood friend returns to town and starts showing him, he could achieve more. Although, his new promising life could face serious consequences.

This is an interesting drama that is split into a few chapters that show how one man can see his life change. Each chapter shows the different change he must go through and the effect it has on the people around him. It is all told extremely well and gets to highlight the troubles people must suffer through. This is all focused on the idea of hope and needing to find a reason to change for the better. We get wonderful performances in a tale that keeps us waiting to see what happens next.

Where to Watch: The Village is available on Netflix now.

Final Thoughts – The Village is a powerful drama about changing your life.