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1997(1st) ~ 2024(28th)
Off the Fantastic
KITAGAWA Eriko
Japan2009 85 min Digibeta C International Premiere
Halfway is a feature film debut by KITAGAWA Eriko, who has been writing for romantic TV dramas in Japan since the 1990s (Long Vacation and Beautiful Life). In the movie, Hiro, a high school girl living in Hokkaido, has a crush on Shu, a boy popular with his splendid academic and athletic performance. Though at first embarrassed by her feelings for him, she soon becomes involved with Shu. But a difficult choice lies ahead of them as they indulge themselves in their puppy love. Unlike Hiro, who has decided to attend a local college, Shu is considering a study at Waseda University in Tokyo. The young lovers are plunged into what is probably their first real hard choice in life. KITAGAWA, a veteran writer of love stories, showcases yet another pure, beautiful love story with Halfway. Devoid of any major events marking the plot, the film brims with romantic, “manga-like” pretty scenes, as well as local landscapes and beautiful characters’ heart-throbbing romances. As the name IWAI Shunji (editing) would suggest, the focus of the movie is on the delicate, sensitive emotional dynamics of the characters. (JEONG Ji Yeon)