How sad is this?

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Since the composition is so delicate, the harsh texture of the editing should be made deliberately. The gloomy and horrific interior space and imaginative outdoor wanderings seem to tear the movie into two parts, but when the fences, rainstorms, feathers and other details are fully expressed, the metaphorical irony is gradually replaced by a purely romantic atmosphere. Although some part of the film it's going too far, the integral effect is quite remarkable.

To watch this film about three patients from a fairly grim looking mental institution you have to suspend one belief: The belief is that all three can just leave without being detected. Once you get beyond that, and you should, you are left with a film that is oddly both ugly and beautiful. The three patients are Coco (the wonderful Chara), Tsumuji (the equally great Tadanobu Asano) and Satoru (Koichi Hashizume). They are sent to the institution for reasons you find out about eventually, and once they leave the film really expands into a somewhat atmospheric but beautifully shot film, with you watching these three supposedly crazy people interact with themselves and, in my favorite scene, a priest. The film is not long, only 65 minutes or so, but I was deeply affected about what these three young people are all about. So, get beyond my little caveat and watch the world with them. I think its a richly rewarding film about the frailty of life.

Director: Iwai Shunji Duration: 72 minutesIwai Shunji is a fascinating director. He is able to hold the viewer's interest during films that last for over two hours, and can also engross the viewer in an emotionally intense film that lasts only 47 minutes. I have thoroughly enjoyed _All About Lily Chou Chou_, _Love Letter_, _April Story_, and _Undo_, so I was looking quite forward to viewing _Picnic_. Also, being a huge fan of Asano Tadanobu, I was looking forward to watching one of his earlier films. I was definitely not disappointed._Picnic_ focuses on the lives of three mental patients: Coco, played by Chara, Tsumuji, played by Asano Tadanobu, and Satoru, played by Koichi Hashizume. Each individual has their own personal demons and suffer not only mental torment, but also are mistreated by the nurses. Their only solace is to walk along the wall of the asylum and view the world they are hidden from. The only person on the outside who is moderately kind to them is a Catholic Priest who gives Tsumuji a bible. Tsumuji reads the bible and is comforted by the fact that the world is soon going to come to an end on July 10th of that year. He was actually looking at the date the book was first published. The three friends decided to pass the walls of the asylum on that day and welcome in the destruction of the earth with a picnic.This is a great little film. Not being a fan of Japanese pop music my only knowledge concerning the singer Chara are the facts that she is married to Asano Tadanobu and that she has acted in two of Iwai Shunji's films, the one I am writing on here and _Swallowtail_. However, I think that she did a fine job of acting, and the times in which she is racked by mental torment are quite moving. Asano Tadanobu's acting is extraordinary. I felt my heart tightening when he reveals his darkest secrets to Coco. Great film. Check it out!

I am very impressed by shunji iwai's films just like everyone else seems to be. I loved swallowtail butterfly so much. This film was good too, but it seemed to lack the feeling of reality and the created world in swallowtail.Chara is really awesome, and the other two guys do well at times, and lack at times in their acting skills. the loony people just don't always seem that looney, you can at times tell that they are just acting that way.still the film is done beautifully, and the story is interesting enough. watching three crazy people take a walk on a wall to see the end of the world is certainly original, and surprises may come. so anyhow. i would say that you should watch this, but don`t miss swallowtail.