If you want to read my Theatre: A Love Story reviews, also known as Gekijou 2020 or just Theatre 2020, read this post. 劇場 is about a penniless, clumsy theater director and his pure and courageous girlfriend. The romance started by chance. He moved to Tokyo to form a troupe and she studied acting in high school. They like each other. But filling in the gaps between ideals and reality leads to loneliness.
Nagata (Kento Yamazaki) is depressed, has anxiety attacks and has trouble talking to strangers. He writes theater scripts and has a troupe with his best friend Nohara (Sato Kanichiro) and other members.
“How long will I last? When will my anxiety overwhelm me again?”
Saki (Mayu Matsuoka) was born in Aomori (青森). She studied theater in high school and after graduating, a friend suggested that she move to Tokyo and pursue an acting career. Your opinions, feelings and reactions manifest at the same time.
“Saki acted better than I expected.”
The two bump into each other in front of the Shibuya Art Gallery (渋谷画廊) and he brings up the subject with her because they are both wearing the same model of sneakers. Nagata showed courage by asking Saki to eat without having money to pay and being sincere about it.
Theatre: A Love Story: japanese movie review
The common theme, decisive for the beginning of the conversation, is the fact that Nagata is a theater scriptwriter and Saki dreams of being an actress. In reality, Nagata and Nohara’s troupe had been receiving bad reviews. So he wasn’t very proud of his profession.
After a few days, Nagata works up the courage to ask Saki out on a date. As the relationship flows, he asks her to play a part in the play he has just written.
“Attendance was low on opening day. But, Saki’s performance captivated the audience.”
It was disappointing to see that despite positive reviews and increased audiences for the next few plays, Nagata never included Saki in productions again. I think his ego took a hit because she was the best actress in the troupe.
Against the approval of Saki’s mother, who helped pay for her daughter’s housing by sending food in the mail, Nagata moved in with her. Because, initially, leaving work would leave more free time for rehearsals.
“I hate to think that half the food I ship is eaten by a guy I don’t even know.”
Despite feeling guilty, and acknowledging how radiant Saki-chan was, Naga-kun wasn’t able to change his selfish behavior and got angry at the effort she made to make him happy.
“When your kindness touched me, it emphasized my ugliness, irritating my sense of inferiority more than usual and making me feel more bitter.”
Obviously, Naga-kun’s behavior started to cause mental confusion and negatively influence Saki-chan. I relate to that and it broke my heart to have to watch it.
Theatre: A Love Story review: the abusive relationship
Saki was completely forgiving of Nagata’s narcissistic behavior. Even after he refused to help with the household bills, saying that if the apartment was in her name, the costs were hers.
“Sometimes I don’t know how to deal with you.”
Even so, committed to the relationship, she found another job, while Naga-kun still didn’t help around the house and wandered around the street without ideas for a new play.
“Even after she started work in the morning, my routine hasn’t changed.”
It was very sad to have to see Saki-chan’s sweet and gentle personality corrupted by Naga-kun’s narcissistic, depressive and envious behavior. I’ve seen this happen in real life and I believe many of you have too. It made me very angry.
Theatre: A Love Story review: the friendships
Nohara (Kanichiro Sato) was the source of inspiration, co-founder of the troupe, connoisseur of movies, music, literature and martial arts. He was with Naga-kun at the first play the two attended.
Aoyama (Sairi Ito) was a former member of the troupe and admired Naga-kun’s scripts. Thanks to her, he was able to get a job and to live alone again.
They are the ones who realized how harmful it was for Saki-chan to date a narcissist like Naga-kun, who was too much of a coward to break up with her.
Why you should watch Theatre: A Love Story 2020
I won’t leave Theatre A Love Story ending explained or a download link here, but even in a troubled way, Naga-kun recognized how wonderful Saki-chan was. He wanted to perpetuate the moments he managed to make her smile and recognized how much she protected him. But fear and insecurities prevented him from verbally praising her. This dynamic, in the mind of an egoist, is as real as it gets. It’s hard to see a narcissist recognize merit in another person.
Saki-chan finally realizes Naga-kun’s fragile ego, manages to confront the abusive dynamic and move on with her life. The ending is one of the most beautiful and, without a doubt, the most surprising ending I’ve ever seen in a Japanese film. If you’re in a similar situation, seeing Saki-chan’s courage might give you the strength to carry on.
Theatre: A Love Story trailer
I really feel that you will like this one. So I decided to do this Gekijou review. Go ahead, immerse yourself in the story, the environment and the soundtrack.
And come back later to tell me what you think in the comments. I didn’t left Theatre: A Love Story ending explained here. But I can assure you that this was the most surprising Japanese movie ending I’ve watched.
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