Permanent Nobara at first looks like your run of the mill quirky and funny Japanese movie in the countryside, but by the end one realizes that most of the themes of the movie are subtle, and much can be lost if one loses attention.
The movie is about Naoko, a recently divorced mother of one. She moves back to her mother's home where she helps out in the only salon in town (the titular Permanent Nobara, wordplay on 'perm' and the family name.) While there she begins to hook up again with her old highschool teacher. At the same time, various relationships between Naoko's friends and family are revealed.
While technically a drama, Permanent Nobara delivers its content via understated comedy,which fills the film up to halfway through. Each person deals with losing their love in different ways; Naoko's stepfather remarries, Naoko's friend Mi-chan does some kicking of ass, and Naoko's other friend Tomo-chan goes and buries some pachinko tokens. Naoko herself tries to come to terms with her recent divorce and her relationship with the new guy.
This kind of execution often fails, but remarkably the film delivers, especially in the last third when the dramatic aspects of the film finally break through. Here we begin to think deeper into the conversations earlier in the film; whether certain lines and actions had some significance behind them instead of being funny fluff.
Much of the success in how this film worked its themes and story relies heavily on the cast. Miho Kanno does a superb job as Naoko, delivering a performance that matches the comedy of the earlier parts and the drama of the later parts without being overly melodramatic. I've only seen her in comedic j-dramas (although I didn't notice she was actually in Takeshi Kitano's Dolls!) so this is kind of a breath of fresh air for me. The rest of the supporting cast does just as well. Mari Natsuki is the hard ass proprietor of the salon and Naoko's mother, Eiko Koike does well as the mama-san Mi-chan, and Yosuke Eguchi gives a fine performance as Naoko's love interest, adding a bit of playfulness and mystery to his character.
This is one of those films that you have to reflect on after you've viewed it. While it doesn't start off frantically and it seems at times nothing is happening, everything within the film has a deeper meaning. Most of the real drama lies between the lines, behind every naughty conversation and behind every playful banter. It's quite a surprise, and unique for the films I've seen so far.
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