Directorial touches and the camera work was brilliant!
Did anyone else notice that the scenes in the movie were full of subtlety?
I was mesmerized but the direction and the camera. It was beautiful how often the camera focused on the children's hands, feet. It was brilliant to see those tiny feet trying to leep up the balcony walls, just drying clothes, playing piano. The director beautifully showed the young girls growing phase through nail color.
The subtlety in some scenes were more heartbreaking than if the director simply showed the children cry (they don't ever cry!)
For example - to show that its been a long time since the mother had left, I liked how the director used the crayons that Yuki drew with, how they had disolved away and she had few bits of them left (he also used the seasons).
Also the scene where Akira buries Yuki and he sits there, the camera focuses just on his hands and the trembling. That scene was so powerful!
I LOVED the little directorial touches and the camera work. I just thought I had to mention how great of a job that was, and it made the movie absolutely beautiful.
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it...