My Sunshine

Directed by Hiroshi Okuyama, My Sunshine follows a young boy (Keitatsu Koshiyama’s Takuya) as he develops an interest in figure skating after falling for a young competitor – with the narrative detailing a coach’s (Sōsuke Ikematsu’s Arakawa) efforts at helping both children hone their skills. Filmmaker Okuyama, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a very gentle, very slow drama that contains few, if any, wholeheartedly compelling elements, as the movie, which runs only 90 minutes but feels so much longer, unfolds at a glacial pace that’s exacerbated by the narrative’s decidedly less-than-eventful bent – with the absence of engaging, dynamic characters certainly perpetuating the arms-length atmosphere. And while the movie’s palpable (and relentless) earnestness, as well as its admittedly lovely visuals, prevents one from checking out entirely, My Sunshine, despite the inclusion of a late-in-the-game homophobia subplot that finally provides the movie with some actual drama, suffers from an overall lack of substance that renders its positive attributes moot – with the end result a well-intentioned misfire that couldn’t possibly be less engaging or interesting.

*1/2 out of ****