BroadcastChic Excellent, a Must See

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

doug_park2001 Some would-be viewers will avoid "Vibrator" simply because of the title; others will view it for that very reason. Either way, that could be a mistake. Don't get me wrong: There's some sex and passion here, but VIBRATOR's definitely NOT a "nasty film" per se. It's more a dual character study of two very different people who meet by accident and what they gain by doing so. Shinobu Terashima convincingly plays Rei, an introverted, hard-drinking, and reclusive writer who meets Takatoshi, a free-spirited, hard-edged, yet compassionate truck driver equally well-played by Nao Omori, and on a whim decides to ride with him on his rounds across the main Japanese island of Honshu. It's a quiet, subdued movie, and its wintertime scenery is bleakly beautiful.It's hard to review this film without making it sound dull and/or depressing, but I found it to be neither. Although it's funny in places, "Vibrator"'s overall mood is simultaneously sad and uplifting. People who want lots of tension and dramatic action may be disappointed here: There's no violence, surprising reversals, or any of that kind of stuff. "Vibrator" remains, however, one of the most convincing and gripping slice-of-life pieces I have ever seen. There is something very genuine about the way it shows Rei getting out of herself in a much-needed way for just a little while. I sincerely wish that there were more films like "Vibrator."

azures3 Someone commented that this movie may be enjoyed by lonely middle aged women who read Cosmopolitan. Well I am a middle aged woman, but I read Mojo and Mother Jones - funny because about twenty minutes into this film I found myself wondering if this movie was made for twentysomething women who demand to be taken seriously, but are a little emotionally stunted. I thought this film was really shallow and bloated in its minimalistic approach to convey characters that were humorless, colorless and poorly sculpted. And I love minimalism and road movies. The bathroom scene made me cringe with its haunty tinkle tinkle piano music - Rei thinks to herself, "Why does this man understand me?" Gee I don't have a clue. I'd like to understand you, but I need just a teeny bit more meat to chew in order for me to care.I've liked Japanese pop/alt/rock for some time and I thought this soundtrack was sad, I mean bad. The song about all the trash and the snow and the snowy trash was perfect for this film. It tried to say something by saying not much and lyrically, to me, came off as laughable.Vibrator made me wonder if perhaps because of thousands of years of culturally imposed emotional repression, this film does in some way represent a Japanese "new wave" and if it takes baby steps, then director Hiroki is at least crawling pretty well. But the film is sort of like Rei's first upchuck - half digested watery booze and few bits of artificially colored snack chips.

Meganeguard Director: Hiroki Ryuichi Duration: 95 minutesThis film opens in a convenience store where the pretty, but exhausted looking, Hayakawa Rei finishes off her daily ritual by purchasing a bottle of wine and a bottle of gin. A bit unstable, Rei continuously talks to herself and is almost unable to distinguish if she speaks out loud or not. The alcohol helps to silence the voice in her head, but it always returns. While browsing the bottles and wondering why there is no red German wine available, a trucker wanders into the store and Rei becomes entranced with his boots that look like those of a fisherman. The trucker immediately notices that Rei has an interest in him, so he wanders by her and taps her on the backside before returning to his truck. Rei follows and the two strangers soon engage in a sex.The next day, instead of heading back home to her job as a freelance writer for magazines, Rei asks the trucker, Takatoshi, if she can accompany him on his deliveries. Takatoshi agrees and soon the couple begins their journey across the frosty winter back roads of Japan's countryside. Surrounded by the natural beauty of the country Rei and Takatoshi tell each other of their struggles, Rei, besides being an alcoholic is also bulimic and Takatoshi tells of his days working for the yakuza. Rei seems to be happy, but her inner demons soon overpower her. Can a bleached-blond trucker truly help her?Based on a novel by Akasaka Mari, Vibrator is a highly sexualized film without being raunchy. The scene where Rei and Takatoshi sit together in a bathtub is very touching. Taking place almost exclusively in the environs of Takatoshi's truck, the film is little more than a dialogue between two characters, however, it is quite an enjoyable trip watching the relationship between the two characters grow. The film also has an awesome soundtrack. Check it out if you get the chance.

BICHOLUCA I recently saw this movie at the Barcelona Asian Film Festival 2004, I really was astonished. I think that it deals with the self confidence and the self opinion of people in a very delicate way. It also went deep inside myself. This surely is not universal but I highly recommend this movie. The person I was with didn't like it. I guess it's a question of identification. Either you get identified with the character or not. This is a radical (but delicate movie). Cannot think of a better way to deal with this themes Also a perfect example to learn how to shoot a digital low cost high quality movie.