Egoist (2022)

NOT a BL but a proper queer movie

I find it important to make it clear that this is not a formulaic BL aimed at a (mostly) female audience, who enjoy watching pretty men get it on. Yes, men fall in love in this movie and yes, there are sex scenes, but this is where the similarities to BL end.

This movie explores gay relationships and gay life in today's Japan without being overly dramatic, but also without any of the "Love is Love and it'll all be good in the end"-sugar coating we see in most BLs.

During the Q&A session at a film festival, the director Matsunaga Daishi said that he deliberately cast queer (amateur) actors in some roles (eg. Kosuke's friend group) to further LGBTQ representation.

Suzuki Ryohei is simply stunning in his portrayal of Kosuke. He manages with sometimes minimalistic expressions or what should be mundane tasks, such as drawing in his eyebrows, to portray a man, who has learned to navigate a world which is hardly accepting of the LGBTQ community. A man, who has armored himself with success and a seemingly hard shell, but who shows vulnerability and his true self in places and among people he knows he is welcome.

The movie isn't perfect. There are aspects of Kosuke's and Ryuta's relationship I wish it had explored in more depth, but it is impactful and (as I said before) Suzuki Ryohei's performance alone makes it very much worth a watch.

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It is all about balance and whole a lot of pain...

In not so many fancy words, I think this movie is phenomenal! Why?

• Two hours flew by in a second

• Intimate scenes are so raw and believable, and just the way I want them. If someone can do a nasty yet sensual NC scene that makes your stomach turn is Japanese. This time, the scenes are going so well along the story. Lets be honest, many Japanese movies do have explicit content that can overpower the story, or, especially dramas can lack any kind of sexual or intimate content. This does not make them bad, I am just talking about how well Egoist is balanced compared to Japanese movies, and in general.

• I enjoyed the balance between letting it go and being polite and restrained. Overall movie has that. And all of that is very nicely packed and topped with a hint of luxury and poverty.

• The whole story about financial and emotional compensation left me deeply wounded, so at the end of my short review, I would say this is not a love movie, nor a romance. This is movie filled with love by the people who were severely damaged by life and their families and they did love and they did care, the way they knew how.

• I feel I cannot pick the pieces of my heart after watching this movie and that is not that bad. It made me feel something, it made me feel a lot actually.

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Stunningly Acted and Shot Film

Egoist is in one word, heart-wrenching. It will pull at your heart strings and really reminds you how harsh reality can be but at the same time, it shows us how beautiful love can pull us from the depths of darkness. The acting from both Hio Miyazawa and Ryohei Suzuki is truly commendable. They gave their heart and soul into portraying these characters. Hio especially shone in this role, he was radiant, charming and beautifully vulnerable (definitely deserved those awards). The subtle gestures, tone of voice and the eyes really make their relationship believable and so poignant. Everything is said through action, not just words. The chemistry is also very palpable and incredibly shown on screen, especially in those love making scenes. But in the end, does Ryohei’s character stop being an egoist, is he purely motivated by self interest or something else? (That’s the real underlying question) Even after the man he loved passed. It’s showcasing the need to be needed, to push your ideals onto an individual to perhaps make yourself feel wanted or to feel better. So are his actions truly altruistic? Overall, a thoughtfully melancholic and moving film about loss, acceptance and the human condition.

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A movie beyond BL

Truthfully one of my favorite movies of the year. Had I watched it in 2022 as it was released it would have been my favorite movie of last year. It is honestly stunning.

Showing off the typical, simple yet beautiful Japanese cinematorgraphy it grabs you with it's silence. Instead of using music to underline a lot of the moments the director chose to go for somber quietness that has you focus and ponder on the scenes. Both actors gave it their all, making for an authentic and stunning portrayal of two gay men simply engaging in everything they are feeling. For a while they make you feel safe, content even until the movie takes a turn. What goes from a queer romance transformed into a movie about love, loss and family, being so much more profound than what is usually released in this genre.

Don't get me wrong I do love your usual, sweet, slightly awkward BL so this is not a jab at any other media but this is simply so much deeper than that. It had me wondering about my own life, about the people I love and how I should treasure them more since time is limited.

Honestly a stunning movie.

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not me ugly crying. OMG - half way through & it's goes from sad to sadder in a loop & as sad / heartbreaking / heart-rending as this is, it is also Beautiful(!) & i aint talking about the leads (who r really good looking) or the acting, which is stellar on all accounts. the story is just wow. the way this plot unfolds, touches ur soul. even if u haven't experienced loss or love, u know what it means in both cases, watching this movie.

both leads (recognized for other movies & drama's, so) i knew they can act - they had banging chemistry & the plot just takes this to the next level. i am jaded, so my mind went to different places when taking into account their age difference; one being jaded not believing in love. while the other being an innocent all pure & trusting, read to fall at a drop... but this has layers & every scene we see more about both leads, seeing that the jaded one might be more trusting & innocent, while the younger more innocent one is really jaded. so however i thought this gonna unfold, as the plot progressed, so did my conclusions change about where this will go. but from the get go, had a bad feeling one will die, and yet that wasn't the end of the others suffering.

find the title of this movie ironic, as neither leads (or any of the character's for that matter) can be characterized as egotistical. yeah when Kosuke got his mask on, he is the epitome of an Egoist - but that is nothing more then a mask, that hides a pure heart that has suffered so much pain OMG but my heart broke for this dude by the end - really beautifully poignant

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How hard our lives can be.

I am heartbroken. This film is about how difficult life can be for certain people, and how easy it can be for others.

I opened this account just to vent about this film, what a great movie. I loved every part of it, the acting, the camera work (even though some people did not like it, that's okay), the script, and so on. Not only that, I identify with them. I took 0.5 points because, I could not see more of them, call me egoist (lol).

About the camera work, it feels like you were with them, I was giggling all the time.

I discovered Miyazawa Hio (Ryuta) in the film His (2020), and I could not stop thinking about that film, so I said well, maybe he will act in another film, the wait was worth it. About Suzuki Ryohei, I liked how he showed his vulnerability in that situation, it is refreshing to see real human emotion in a film, not robotics decisions.

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Despite its undeniable qualities, story did not grab me mainly because of pacing and editing issues

This movie is about the encounter of two gays men: Kosuke, a fashion editor quite well-off and Ryuta, a younger guy that tries to make ends meet, doing a lot of side jobs...The movie takes its time exploring their budding relationship in the context of Japanese society where gay marriage is still forbiden and overall gay relationships remains marginalised.

The premise of the film is interesting but unfortunately it did not manage to grab my attention as I would have wished to. I felt quite detached during most part of the movie and I blame foremost pacing issues about that. Indeed, the movie felt sluggish to me and I truly think it would have benefited from a sharper editing. Despite I truly found the characters and their dynamics super interesting, I also felt that the romance was a bit lacking. The scenario took its time to catch me and it mainly brought up some reflections and feelings to me in its last third.

The acting was very good, especially from Suzuki Ryohei. He was astounishing in his role: he managed to do a lot with just his eyes, making the emotions so real and raw with what his character was going through...Each one of his micro expression as he was suffering was truly gut wrenching and believable. I also felt under the charm of Miyazawa Hio, who makes his character very appealing as well as Agawa Sawako which was pretty good in her role.

There was an indie feeling to this movie with a lot of what felt as experimentative camera movements and angles, it made some shots very engaging but clearly, I wish the filmmaking would have helped the rythm of the plot. The camera work seemed sometimes to slow down a lot on details and I think it is too the detriment of the pace of the story.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for a realistic life BL. It dives into deep topics (much deeper than what the poster would have left presupposed) and it will for sure not leave the viewer indifferent. Despite its qualities, I cannot omit the fact that the watching experience for me was not the best, as I felt bored at various points and the movie catched my interest concretely almost at the end....Still, I think it is worth to give it a try.

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Cell shocked

After about half of the movie I just watched in disbelief. I couldn't understand what just happened and sat there with open eyes and shaking my head.

The beginning was realistic, the whole story felt too real sometimes, never over the top. I would love to see more, about their past and more of their relationship.
The story is beautiful, the acting naturel and everything is just right. The music helps with setting the mood, the lightning and coloring makes it feel real, the pacing is really good. 2 hours went by, but I didn't feel it.

Those with a soft heart will get hurt and not in the good way. The ending was bittersweet, but lovely.

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It bids You

This movie is a piece of art. Following the Ryuta a guy who is working as a personal gym trainer by the day and selling himself for so he could support his mother. As the movie proceeds you feel different emotions throughout, you will feel butterflies, you will smile, you will laugh and you will cry your heart out.
Music was fine.
Actors have done a very good job for portraying the characters, they brought the characters alive. The handsome and stunning Ryuta. Muscular but feminine Kosuke.
You should defiantly watch this movie if you like good story. But there is a drawback as we never get to know why Ryuta died.
There are a fair amount of R rated scene so if you are not into watching it please avoid watching the movie.

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uma aventura de se acompanhar

Uma das coisas que mais me impressionaram nesse filme é como as relações nele são construídas, você consegue perceber o amor, a tristeza, a amizade etc de forma tão intensa que é quase como se eu fosse a pessoa por trás da câmera captando os momentos. Honestamente o filme foi uma experiência muito mais dolorosa do que qualquer outra, me peguei refletindo como cruel a vida pode ser com algumas pessoas em aspectos diferentes; com o ryuta é possível acompanhar um personagem que precisa se submeter a uma rotina exploratória para ter um mínimo de dignidade e conseguir ajudar sua mãe. Enquanto no kosuke se acompanha uma pessoa que teve uma certa negligência ao amor por boa parte da vida finalmente encontrando uma reciprocidade e tendo isso tirado de uma maneira horrível. Estou de verdade surpreso com o filme, se encaminhou para um lado que eu não esperava mas foi uma experiência incrível até o final.

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