Ride or Die (2021) Movie Review

 

Ride or Die (Original title: Kanojo) | 2021 | 2h 22m
Genre: Crime/Romance/Drama/Thriller | Country: Japan
Director: Ryûichi Hiroki | Writers: Nami Yoshikawa, Ching Nakamura
Cast: Kiko Mizuhara, Honami Satô, Shinya Niiro
IMDB: 5.6
My Rate: 6/10

Rei kills Nanae’s husband, the woman she has liked since long ago, in an attempt to free her from her abusive husband. They then begin to explore their feelings for each other while on the run.

Warning:

Contains scenes of murder, violence, nudity, sexual content, smoking, alcohol, and LGBT themes.

 
Synopsis:

Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) works as a successful surgeon and lives with her partner. One day, a friend from her past contacts her again. She is Nanae (Honami Satô), the woman Rei has liked since school. Surprised, Rei finally meets Nanae.

Nanae tells Rei about her sad marriage and how her husband treats her, showing the wounds on her body. Rei feels sadness seeing the wounds. Nanae says that everything will end either with her death or her husband’s death.

Rei takes Nanae’s words seriously. She approaches Nanae’s husband, seduces him, then kills him brutally. Rei flees and informs Nanae of the incident. Nanae looks for Rei and tries to escape together.

Nanae does not expect that Rei would really kill her husband. Their relationship becomes unclear. Rei, who from the start showed interest in Nanae, is always looked down upon by those around her, including Nanae. However, the escape seems to reveal hidden feelings in their hearts.

 

Review:

Ride or Die is a film adapted from the manga series Gunjo by Ching Nakamura. The story touches on LGBT themes. In Japan, LGBT is somewhat accepted though still receives some negative views from society. Thus, this film takes a rather bold step.

Putting aside that theme, the message this film wants to convey is actually quite profound. It shows how someone who loves deeply will do anything to protect the person they love, including killing. However, the execution of the film feels somewhat lacking. The chemistry between the characters is a bit underdeveloped.

The story is presented with a non-linear timeline, showing the characters’ past in several scenes. However, the story seems unfocused and over-exploits the actors’ bodies. Sometimes it feels excessive and mistimed. If the focus had been more on the actors’ emotional performances, it might have been better. Additionally, the film feels too long, as some scenes do not add much value to the story.

The background story is built quite well, showing the connection between the two. However, the conflict development is somewhat lacking, and the dialogues and expressions sometimes fail to touch the audience or seem unclear in purpose. The resolution is done fairly well with character development visible in each character.

The acting is not extraordinary but can be considered decent. The casting of Rei and Nanae in their school years seems less fitting compared to their adult versions. There is no resemblance in either face or character traits, so the connection between the characters feels weak.

Camera movements are sometimes slightly unfocused, shaky, and untidy. The color composition and lighting are quite good. The choice of music and sound effects is also good.

Overall, this film has the potential to be presented better and more touching. Many aspects could be optimized further.

 

Memorable scene:

Rei, who has killed Nanae’s husband, calls Nanae to inform her. She stands on the edge of a bridge with chaotic feelings. In this scene, we see the true feelings of Rei—relief mixed with fear of the consequences of her actions.

 

Memorable dialogue:

"I couldn’t bear you not being in my life!"

 

Ending:

Cliffhanger

 

Recommendation:

Okay to Watch

 

(Aluna)