Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

An unexpected masterpiece

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Loved the raw picture of a modern culture in which people are getting by with 1000 year tradition behind them yet battling new world problems. As if a piece of a puzzle, you witness just one unit of this society politely confronting each other with themes of death, separation, ego, love, and trust. The film's tone, tempo, picture was pleasant and the story unfolded well. I guess I'm the target audience age group so the resonance struck well with this film.

I read some reviews and with a 7.5 score I went to see this movie. The movie was terrible, one of slowest, most meaningless movies I have ever seen in my life. No dialogue, no emotion, no plot of any kind. Just a bunch of meaningless conversations that last for hours and hours. I didn't get anything away from this movie, just 2 hours of complete boredom.

A few months ago serendipity brokered a meeting between me and an exquisite film from Japan entitled Our Little Sister. I was totally captivated so much so that I watched it again within days and bought the DVD as soon as it appeared. This week another film by the same director - who also, it appears, works on the screenplays of his movies - was released in London. I found it had already been written about in glowing terms here on IMDb and I noted with interest that the comments came from several different countries around the world, testifying to the universal appeal of this minimalist filmmaker. It's difficult to conceive that this virtually invisible style of acting co-exists in the world of, say, Robert de Niro, Dennis Hopper, etc, where the goal seems to be last one to be sectioned is a sissy. After The Storm is yet another sublime essay about ordinary people coping with everyday traumas or not, as the case may be. Though it's churlish to single out any one actor it's equally hard not to wallow in the beautiful performance of Kirin Kiri as the mother/grandmother coping with the dysfunctional son and his fractured family. A true gem.

the trailer is great. the film, not as much. ryoto, (abe hiroshi), a divorced father, is behind in everything, including life. at 35 he had 15 minutes of fame for publishing a novel. at 49, he hasn't written anything in years and is living a rudderless existence. he is at least two months behind in child support payments. he spies on unfaithful partners for a living and that includes spying on his ex wife and her new boyfriend. he pumps his son for information about his mother. he is surrounded by enablers, who, of course, keep him afloat. and at 1:57 minutes, the movie seems long. this is not to say I didn't like the movie. the pace is slow, though.