I Wish: Working on a Kesike

Japan movie makers are a wired bunch. The world wide global audience isn't easily can accustomed with their sense of storytelling. They can manage to screw the storytelling even when backed with mature franchise like Bleach and Attack of the Titans. It doesn't help that their movies isn't easily available outside of Japan.

But it is sometimes when I come upon jewels like 'I Wish'. A movie about nothing but delivers a pack of punches at the end. Ambiguous yet satisfying. 

I Wish premise is about a broken family which have the arrangement of the older brother living with his mother and grandparents, while the younger brother is living with his father in Osaka. The filmmaker roped in a real-life siblings to be the brothers - Koki and Oshiro Maeda, a perfect choice seeing the relaxed chemistry between both of them.

Right from the start we can see the difference between the siblings. The contrast between the them are obvious.

Kochiki (played by Koki), the older brother is the withdrawn and thoughtful type, determined that his family's separation is temporary. While Ryunosuka (played by Oshiro), the easygoing and ever so smiley prefers the current status quo since he can't stand the fights when the family were together.

The story was set off in Kagoshima where Kochiki lived together with his grandparents. Two new bullet trains are built soon that will go through his city connecting to Osaka where Ryu lives. The focus point of the movie is when fantasy and reality converge when Kochiki heard that the a supernatural energy burst will happen when the two bullet trains swoosh past each other.

Determined to save his family, he want to go to the focal point to make his wish.

If this were a lesser film, this may turn into a sentimental moment and maybe have a successful ending. But this is a realist storyteller at work with the movie. We were then brought into the perspective of each of the kids' wish and determination for the road-trip.

Kochiki with his dream to get his family together again.
Ryu with his dream to have his lackadaisical father, Kenji to have success being a band guitarist.

Yu Hukumoto that wished to marry his beautiful teacher, Mimura.

Shin Ota that wished to be a successful baseball player; he had to change it last minute due to the death of his dog - he want it revived.

Megumi that wished be an actress.
Kanna that wished to be a painter, having fun education at school.
Not forgetting Rento that just wished to be thinner.

The narrative isn't straightforward. In my opinion, there were a lot of scene that didn't serve the main plot. What it serves though, is the character development.

Surprisingly, as nonsensical as the premise sound, there are adults in the movie that were extremely supportive for kids' cause. Osako (Kokichi's grandfather) helped his grandson and 2 friends to skipped school for the road-trip

.The school nurse advised the boys how to fake their body temperature to skip school.
Notwithstanding the old couple that took the kids' for the night, pretending to be their guardian to dodge the police suspicion of the kids.

The kids finally managed to get to the focal point of the two bullet trains swoosh past each other. All of their wish had been written unto a flag. Kochiki even brought his drawing of a volcano, half expecting the energy boom when the train swooshes by.

Realistically, their wish isn't magically being fulfilled. The puppy sure isn't revived. If not, this movie will swerved into Pet Semetary. 

The scenes closed by having Kenji and his band having a shot of performing with a network TV with Ryu cheekily claimed that it was his credit, Megumi dances happily in her room with her newfound strength, and Kochiki commented about the volcano ash at his balcony.

It ends with ambiguity. They asked the watchers to make their own conclusion about he kids at the end. In my opinion, the road-trip have brought them new resolution to achieve their dreams. Kochiki must also realized that blood is thicker than water. Whatever happens, he will always have his family, especially his brother.

PS: Kesike = Miracle