Shunji Iwai's April Story (1998) is a short but delightful film of a girl entering university in Tokyo. Initially the film seems to tackle with questions related to independence, but it eventually turns into a love story. The first half of the film seems a bit unfocused, but that is only for the better: it sets the tone for the rest of the story and provides the necessary background. The later half of the film is incredibly told. While the content might not be anything new or deep, it's enough to satisfy during the short running time of the film (67 minutes).
Iwai's form is exceptionally breathtaking: beautiful lighting, pleasant handheld camerawork, charming pacing and a poignant musical score. A lot of instrumental music is used throughout the film, but it never becomes too intrusive.
Appreciation of Iwai's April Story is more about how the film is told instead of what is told. Iwai's narrative and form are clearly the pros of the film. Spending an hour with this film will certainly not go to waste.
Score: 8 out of 10
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