MIDNIGHT SWAN Review: Heartwarming Drama About Love as Ultimate Way of Salvation
After the fabulous LOWLIFE LOVE there was expectation around Eiji Uchida’s following project, MIDNIGHT SWAN. The result couldn´t be more satisfactory, presenting a moving drama that reaffirms him as a director to be reckoned with.
The story revolves around Ichika, a teenage girl from Hiroshima with problems with her mother, who is taken in Tokyo by Nagisa, a distant relative, who is a transgender woman who makes a living dancing in seedy clubs in Shinjuku. At first their relationship is strained, but Nagisa’s maternal instincts are awakened when Ichika discovers her passion for dancing, creating a motherly bond between them so strong that makes them inseparable.
With this emotional drama, Uchida wanted to explore the obstacles and difficulties of the transgender community, in a story that is not exempt from sleazeness. However,during the key scenes of the film, Uchida is able to move the audience into tears through a labyrinth of emotions that are reflected on the screen wth rawness, in a tale about the frustration of not living the desired life, but also the illusion of discovering a passion and how love can be a form of salvation, even when hope has already been lost…
April 22, 2022 @ 3:07 pm
I remember when my youngest brother was growing up, my mother was finding him difficult to deal with. So she sent him yo live with my brother in another state. When my little brother returned to us, he was a completely different person. It’s hard for parents to give up their kids but they will make that sacrifice if needed. Sometimes it’s the change of environment that helps develop the kid’s character. Especially if they end up some place where the people they are with show them they have a talent and purpose in life. I suppose that is what Eiji Uchida is aiming for in this film. His message is a child/teen is precious; and someone has to try to save them.