Movie Digest
Rikiya Imaizumi, who has directed films such as “Our Blue Moment,” “Just Only Love,” and others, made “On the Street,” commonly known as “Over the Street.” The film follows the life of Ao Arakawa, a simple man who works in a second-hand clothes store on the streets of Shimokitazawa, where the action takes place. The protagonist enjoys visiting bars and browsing through used bookstores. Four ladies complicate his life by becoming engaged in his life through unexpected events.
The Feel-Good Part
The director has interspersed comedic moments throughout the film. The script is well-written and has emotionally rich language, and the actors’ chemistry is natural and charismatic. The cinematography is fantastic, amazingly capturing the Shimokitazawa neighborhood. What makes the movie stand out is the direction, which shows the audience that love is beautiful but with a lot of hardships. The four women with strong personalities are the actual standouts of the movie, adding color to it. On the street is a short yet powerful story.
The Disappointing Factor
The screenplay doesn’t allow one to process the proceedings when a romantic relationship fails. It introduces another romantic narrative almost immediately. The editing crew has attempted to integrate over 130 minutes of episodes into a single movie making the movie extra-long. Around halfway through the movie, it gets quite predictable and uninteresting. Some of the discussions were uncomfortable and lacked flow, and there were a lot of lulling interactions between the people, which may be annoying. The director appears to have a consistent theme in most of his films.
In- Depth Analysis
Imaizumi directed this film, which explores the problematic and unrealistic aspects of love. The film opens with Ao Arakawa, a man who lives on Shimokitazawa’s streets and works at a second-hand clothes store. Yuki, his girlfriend, has dumped him because she has been cheating on him. The issues faced by Yuki and Ao in the movie are well portrayed. Machiko Takahashi is a resilient director who wants to cast Ao in her film and approaches him afterward. Ao accepts the offer and invites another female working in a thrift store to assist him in preparing. He meets IhaJojo on the set of the film. By emphasizing the repercussions of romance, the director avoids crafting an unrealistic fiction love narrative. Instead, he offered an almost imperfect love tale on the subject. He quietly demonstrates a masculine lack of sensitivity to female subjectivity. Apart from conveying masculine insensitivity, he beautifully depicts the problem of achieving romantic relationship standards.
Star Power
Ryuya Wakaba, who plays Ao Arakawa, tries hard not to play a lovely man but ends up being a mediocre actor; while doing a solid job and giving the character a traditional flavor. Moeka Hoshi, who plays Yuki, does a fantastic job of conveying attitude during some of the more hilarious passages. The four ladies are sharp minds who stand in stark contrast to the protagonist. The chemistry between all of the performers is genuine and endearing.
Overall Opinion
If you enjoy independent films, this one will stick out owing to its tempting sense of comedy and depiction of a deemed to be fashionable age.
