It's Only Talk
{{POV|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox film
|name = It's Only Talk
|image = Hiroki_its_only_talk.jpg
|caption = It's Only Talk film poster
|director = Ryūichi Hiroki
|producer = Akira Morishige
|writer = Akiko Itoyama (original book)
Haruhiko Arai (screenplay)
|starring = Shinobu Terajima
Etsushi Toyokawa
Akira Emoto
Shunsuke Matsuoka
Nao Omori
Tomorowo Taguchi
Satoshi Tsumabuki
|music = Nido
|cinematography = Kazuhiro Suzuki
|editing = Junichi Kikuchi
|runtime = 126 minutes
|distributor = Gold View Co., Ltd (international)
|released = {{Film date|2005|11|23|Tokyo FILMeX|2006|06|10|Japan}}
|country = Japan
|language = Japanese
}}
{{nihongo|It's Only Talk|やわらかい生活}} is a Japanese film, released in 2005 and is based on the prizewinning novel of the same title written by Akiko Itoyama and directed by Ryūichi Hiroki.
Plot summary
"Kamata Town: not an ounce of chic..." "Perhaps I should move there..." So begins Yuko's story.
Yuko, is 35 years old; unemployed, single and is on medication to combat manic depression. There are a number of men in Yuko's life:
- her college friend, Homma, now a member of parliament;
- K, a confessed pervert who she meets on the Internet;
- Yasuda, a manic depressive young gang member;
- Soichi, Yuko's cousin who separated from his wife and child, and was also dumped by his mistress.
Yuko seems to create a different persona depending on whom she is talking to at the time. By the end of the movie, Yuko knows that she needs more than what Soichi and the other men in her life can give her. We all need a soft life—the literal meaning of "Yawarakai Seikatsu"—once in a while, but as Yuko discovers, there's also something to be said for this hard thing called reality.
Cast
Shinobu Terajima as Yuko.
Etsushi Toyokawa plays Yuko's cousin, Shoichi.
Shunsuke Matsuoka plays Homma, Yuko's old time friend.
Tomorowo Taguchi plays a self-confessed pervert, "K". In normal life "K" is married and works as an architect.
Satoshi Tsumabuki plays Noboru, the manic depressive gang member. Yuko meets him through the Internet.
Production
Producer: Akira Morishige
Cinematographer: Kazuhiro Suzuki
Screenwriter: Haruhiko Arai
Original novel written by: Akiko Itoyama
''It's Only Talk'''s message
It's Only Talk not only highlights the illness of manic depression, it also suggests ways to care for the patient. The film suggests that through tender loving care, and by acknowledging their reality, and seeking help as patients, people
suffering from manic depression could get better.
Awards
- Singapore International Film Festival Grand Prize 2006
- Audience Award: Barcelona Asian Film Festival 2006
- FIPRESCI Award: Brisbane International Film Festival 2005
See also
References
{{Unreferenced|date=July 2010}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|0461526|It's Only Talk}}
- [http://www.goldview.co.jp Gold View Company, Ltd, International Distributor of It's Only Talk]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070502055829/http://www.artplusradio.org/podcasts/shows/archiveindex.html Radio interview with Film Director, Ryuichi Hiroki about his film, It's Only Talk]
{{Ryūichi Hiroki}}
{{Silver Screen Awards for Best Film}}
Category:2000s Japanese-language films
Category:Films directed by Ryūichi Hiroki