A young man falls in love with a disabled woman in a pram. But do they have a future together?
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is a sweet romantic drama movie that also offers some comedy. It never gets dark, but it is sometimes on a dark path that is never followed up. The disabled woman is struggling with mental problems. She lives with her grandmother, who constantly tells her she is broken. It is not good for your mental health to hear that you are broken all the time.
The actors are superb, and the chemistry is perfect. The movie never gets boring. I watched the movie many years ago, and I liked it. But I was a little annoyed the first time I watched it. I thought it felt a little heavy, and I didn’t completely understand it. I was just immature when I watched the movie.
Now I found a lot of substance in the movie, even though the disabled woman does not say much. We never get much information about her background and where she comes from, but you understand why she has given up when she is depressed and lives with a nasty old lady who hides her away from the outside world. We had all become weird and depressed living with that old hag. Just die, old woman! Die! You old miserable hag!
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is charming with two excellent actors. Satoshi Tsumabuki is a solid actor with a lot of charisma. Chizuru Ikewaki plays a somewhat atypical Japanese role as a mysterious and depressed woman who is trapped in her own body and mind.
This is not an ordinary romantic movie. We understand that this relationship will probably not last long, as the disabled woman is difficult to live with as she needs to be repaired mentaly. So the old grandmother hag speaks the truth. But it seems it is she who destroyed her!
So the ending is appropriate. Even though the young man finds the disabled woman interesting, he is still not old enough to handle her and her behavior. They live in two different worlds, and eventually, he will wake up and understand it and move on in life. Although, he is in love and curious.
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is a movie for adults who have some life experience and who understand how difficult it is to create a relationship with a person who is struggling with mental health problems and a disability. It is not a movie that feeds the viewers with a teaspoon, so you have to watch and experience the movie with an adult mind.