69
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100TheWrapSteve PondTheWrapSteve PondThere are moments of real beauty in the film, which is an unassuming and contemplative excursion into how we love, and why. But like the fireworks that greet Asako and Baku’s first kiss, its pop is a modest one.
- 83The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdHamaguchi exhibits a careful, un-showy command of the frame, and a talent for creating small, sometimes comic surprises through editing.
- 75IndieWireEric KohnIndieWireEric KohnHamaguchi finds ways of crystallizing the movie’s themes, lingering on contemplative moments that position the entire story as a metaphor for the contrast between the fantasies and realities of relationships, as well as the messy negotiation required to navigate those extremes.
- 75Slant MagazineChuck BowenSlant MagazineChuck BowenLike Happy Hour, Asako I & II is a parable of the grace — and, yes, happiness — that spring from resignation.
- 67The Film StageGiovanni Marchini CamiaThe Film StageGiovanni Marchini CamiaAs with the several other slight departures from realism, the artifice added to the story proves distracting. Without being successfully integrated, such choices fail to bestow the narrative with depth and pathos as intended, but only draw attention to the flimsiness of the its construction.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThis is an amusing essay in amorous delusion.
- 60VarietyMaggie LeeVarietyMaggie LeeHamaguchi extols his source for a compelling representation of love as a mystic experience. However, what gets transferred to the screen becomes more like banal indecision.
- This strange, deliberately naïve film plunges a high-concept romance into a banal, lifeless world.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonThe Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonA banal and patronizing cautionary sermon for lovestruck ladies torn between heart and head, sexy-dangerous bad boys and dependably dull husband types.
- 50Screen DailyJonathan RomneyScreen DailyJonathan RomneyWhile Higashi proves adept at embodying both extremes, Karata proves a rather insipid centre to the film, not just because of the actress’s bland pertness but because of the passivity of the character.