FILM REVIEWS:
BEST WISHES TO ALL (Japan 2023) **
Directed by Yûta Shimotsu
BEST WISHES TO ALL is a Japanese psychological horror film directed by Yûta Shimotsu, adapted from his award-winning short film. The story follows a young nursing student (played by Kotone Furukawa) who returns to her rural hometown to visit her grandparents. This leads to the discovery of what’s brought them happiness, a revelation that will lead her to question her choices, sanity and reality itself.
At the start of the film, the girl is asked, not once but a few times, “You are happy, right?” Therefore, one can expect that the film is about the pursuit of happiness. The film asks whether happiness is worth it despite all costs.
What begins as a warm and ‘happy’ reunion soon descends into unsettling territory as she notices increasingly bizarre behaviour from her grandparents and the local townspeople. The grandparents make pig-like grunting noises during dinner, later saying how much pigs have lived for the pleasure and cuisine of human beings. Then they say that she is the apple of their eyes, then pointing to their eyes in a very odd and disturbing way. Strange noises emanate from a locked room, and when she asks about the noise, she is told that the room is empty before being told later that there is someone else in the room.Not everything is what it seems and director Shimotsu uses the elements of mystery and audience anticipation to the best of his abilities. For example, a random old woman crossing the street tells the girl, “You young people have sacrificed so much for old people.” Then she is also told: “No matter what happens, I want you to believe in me.”
The girl’s observation of the odd behaviour is believed by a local boy, who seems to be her romantic interest, though director Shimotsu keeps the romance at bay.
But once the mystery is revealed, which is roughly at the film’s halfway mark, the film seems to go nowhere, leading to an ending in the air. But the biggest flaw is the credibility of the whole exercise. Why is the nursing student the only one not in with the happiness ploy? What about the rest of the population? There are too many unanswered questions in the hokey plot.
As far as scares are concerned, director Shimotsu resorts to jump scares, which is getting too common and annoying in horror films, especially when these are false alarms. On the plus side, the film moves on at a pace faster than those horror films that combine a slow-burn with the build-up of a scary atmosphere. The cinematography and score also contribute significantly to the film’s atmosphere. Director Shimitsu does succeed in some scary set-pieces, especially in family dinner segments.
The atmosphere of contrast between traditional and modern ways, rural and city life and the lengths to which someone would go in order to gain happiness are other issues examined in the film.
BEST WISHES TO ALL is open for streaming on Shudder Friday, June 13th.
Trailer:
