It's a solid film, conveys a message, but I don't think that is enough. If one where to watch tons of movies, one will soon discover that not every film needs a happy ending, in fact some of the best movies have very sad and Bleak endings. However, a movie that wants to retain the feeling of satisfaction (that ussualy comes with a happy ending) from the audience, it better give something good in return! In other words, watching Oharu is rather boring. I think it could have benefited by spending more time with some of its main characters, and dropping a few minor ones. After watching two hours of Oharu, at the end I can barely say I know her. There is just too little time between tragedy and tragedy that you can't even begin to see the impact of the first one when a new tragedy comes. Also (and this is a hot take) I don't believe the casting was all the good it could have been. Especially at th begining Is very weird watching this clearly 43 year old woman pass as a 17 year old. It takes away from the illusion of realism, and therefore the empathy is so hard trying to achieve. I liked the initial theme of suffering for love and staying true to oneself, but the movie kinda drops those themes about halfway trough to focus solely on Oharu's disgraces. As a conclusion, I would say that it's bleakness doesn't pay off for the long and kinda boring experience of watching it, but it can be worth a watch for people who are already in love with the world of feudal Japan.
Review of The Life of Oharu
