Watch Bright Future

Bright Future is a thought-provoking drama film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, released in 2002. The movie revolves around two friends, Mamoru Arita (Tadanobu Asano) and Yuji Nimura (Joe Odagiri), who work together at a dead-end factory job. Mamoru Arita is a lonely and reclusive young man who spends his days caring for poisonous jellyfish at home, while Yuji Nimura is much more outgoing and carefree. The plot thickens as Yuji is arrested for committing a murder, and Mamoru is left to care for Yuji’s pet jellyfish, named bright future.

The film is shot in a very muted tone, with scenes that are almost entirely devoid of background noise. The director uses this technique to reflect the sense of loneliness and emptiness that Mamoru and Yuji feel in their lives. The main theme of the movie is the philosophical idea of whether one's life can really have an impact in the grand scheme of things. This is paralleled by the jellyfish's tendency to sting and paralyze their prey, but not kill them, leaving them to drown and dissolve in the oceanic abyss.

During a chance encounter with a scientist named Tsutomo Sasaki (Tatsuya Fuji), Mamoru’s life takes a different turn. Sasaki introduces him to the world of science and offers him a job as his research assistant. While Mamoru struggles to find his place in the world, Yuji's future remains uncertain, and his pet jellyfish appears to function as a sort of guide in his life.

Bright Future is a captivating movie that delves deep into the themes of loneliness, isolation, and the human experience. The writer and director use metaphor and symbolism to explore the questions that most of us deep down want answers to: What is our purpose in life? Is there more to existence than what we currently know?

The performances in the movie are fantastic, particularly that of Joe Odagiri and Tadanobu Asano. Joe Odagiri's portrayal of Yuji is an excellent testament to his acting skills, as he perfectly encapsulates the carefree and rebellious nature of the character. Tadanobu Asano's portrayal of Mamoru is equally captivating, convincingly making us feel the sense of loneliness and emptiness he experiences.

The movie's pacing is slow, but this contributes in establishing an atmosphere of contemplation and reflection. Kiyoshi Kurosawa's direction is masterful, as he uses the silence in the movie to create mesmerizing visuals and moments of tension.

The soundtrack of the movie is minimalistic, with long stretches of silence that make the few moments of background music all the more impactful. The score's minimalism complements the movie's muted colour palette and styles that are so typical of Japanese cinema.

In conclusion, Bright Future is a deeply philosophical and visually stunning movie that manages to stimulate the viewer's thoughts on many profound questions. The movie is not for everyone, as its slow pacing and restrained tone can be a bit of a chore for those not used to such movies. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a movie that is well crafted and will give you food for thought, then you should definitely give Bright Future a watch.

Bright Future is a 2003 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 55 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 64.