The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese is a beautifully melancholic movie that is very artistic. Everything feels very deliberate from the choice of lighting down to the clothing color choice. And it all comes together into this intricate web and it just draws you in. It's not a movie that leaves you smiling at the end, but rather one that leaves you silently pensive.

This truly is a dark and gritty movie. The characters are deeply flawed human beings engaging in a toxic relationship and that relationship is not romanticized like it is in so many other BLs. On the one hand, you have Otomo Kyoichi who, despite being married has engaged in repeated affairs and has no real understanding of what love is. And on the other hand, you have Imagase Wataru who has been in love with Otomo for some 8 years, since their university days. Neither character has very many redeeming traits. Otomo can't remain faithful to anyone, is deeply selfish, cold, cruel even. He's manipulative and remorseless at times. And Imagase is a study in unrequited love, but the kind of love where there's not really a reason, you just love them. Because why would he love Otomo with the way he treats Imagase? But he does love him, not that it's in any way healthy. It's the kind of love that he's willing to do anything for a chance, even blackmail or stalking. And also under that love is a level of fear and paranoia that eats away at him until he breaks.

The character development achieved is very impressive, particularly with Otomo's character. It's a natural progression that feels well done and organic, not at all forced. His journey is not an easy or pleasant one, but it is a necessary one for him to grow and become a person capable of loving and being loved. Imagase's development is less overt, though no less powerful. His is a battle with self, the yearning to stay while also knowing that it's time to let go. The pacing in general of the movie is practically perfect. No scene feels extra or out of place, it all just flows together seamlessly.

The acting is absolutely phenomenal. Okura Tadayoshi had the challenge of playing Otomo who's fairly reserved, but the beauty of his acting was the sheer subtlety of it. Even if his face wasn't necessarily displaying a specific emotion, you could see wheels turning in his head. And Narita Ryo, oh my goodness, did he pull at heartstrings. Between the scenes where he breaks down, the beach scene, and the ending, he just broke my heart. He also has some of the best lines of the movie and he delivers them beautifully.

Yes, there is nudity in this movie, no full frontal, and several NSFW scenes, but I would not classify them as pornographic. They are tastefully done and they play a key role in revealing the development of the characters' relationship and emotions. If such scenes are off-putting to you, this is not a movie you should be watching.

I said this was a movie about flawed human beings and part of what gives it so much depth is that very nearly every single character in it is flawed, some more so than others. It doesn't try to rationalize or over explain, they simply are. I think there's a certain beauty in that rawness and lack of perfection. Theirs isn't a relationship to aspire to, but it feels real, more real than the pretty fairytales so many of us watch. But in the end there is a hopefulness, I think, however fragile, that they can rise above their flaws to create something beautiful.