I always see a ton of Japanese dramas and films showcasing gay themes but I've never seen a Japanese film actually address the process of coming out in Japan. I would have never known about this film if I hadn't found the dvd on Barnes and Nobles website.(Thank god for online shopping!) Coming out was directed and written by Inudo Kazutoshi. The actors and actresses are not well known as this is an indie film but Takahashi Naoto stars as a college student who decides to come out as gay to his friends and family.
The plot of this film is a great guide for a person of any nationality who wants to come out to their loved ones and needs an idea how to do it. Coming out is a scary, life changing decision that must be planned out before acting on. I'm not going to give any spoilers away but the main character goes about coming out in a smart way to me. He didn't know what he was doing but he tested the waters before jumping in head first. Tell a family member or close friend first then work your way up to your parents and other friends. If you fell that your going to get disowned then don't come out until your able to provide for yourself finically. The biggest thing you want is stability like someone to fall back on if things go for the worst. Every parent/friend will react to you coming out differently and you have to prepare yourself for the chance of a negative reaction. However, If you're truly friends with someone, they are not going to end a friendship with you just because your gay. You're still you no matter what your sexually orientation is. In the film, the plot sets up the stage for the problems of a typical gay man when coming out as gay in Japan. Being gay in Japan isn't really different as being gay anywhere else only that the society has this "as long as I don't see it." kind of attitude. Meanwhile, Gayness is used as a form of entertainment for young women who like seeing cute young males be in relationships known as Yaoi. Its hypocritical to me because everything's fine as long as it stays fantasy but people want to turn a blind eye when gay rights come up in Japan. I do also realize that this film is a couple of years old and things might have changed quite a bit in Japan. There's a huge fear about coming out to only be rejected or called mentally ill. Some people really do believe no Japanese gay people exist. Korea was like that too until more recently. Gay people are everywhere. No matter how much you refuse to see them. A back and forth between wanting to come out and fear of being rejected push the plot along smoothly. Other characters are dealing with their own versions of what it means to come out. What it means to live in your truth without being apologetic. This film is strictly about coming out and nothing more. Don't watch this expecting some steamy hot Yaoi film. Its not going to happen. You do get eye candy though.
I liked how the actors and actresses created a borderline between two ways of living. The main character and his friends are normal college students. They like to hang out to drink then think about how to date whoever is single. Biggest problem for our main character is that he likes his best friend and most friends try to set you up with someone after seeing you single for too long. Most gay men in the closet go through this and have to pretend to date girls to keep their secret safe. You just end up hurting yourself especially if you like someone else. Its also never a good idea to like heterosexual men. They're not gay so don't waste your emotions on them unless they tell you otherwise. The second way of living consists of gay man who goes to a small gay bar to talk to the locals there. This is the only time in the film that he can be himself. The characters in the bar felt more like his family than his actual family. They listened to him talk about his problems and gave him constant advice. All these characters are tied together by the main character but it was up to him to destroy the borderline that separated them from each other. His secret life had no reason to be a secret.
Nothing big stood out to me in the way this film was shot. I did enjoy one sequence of effects when the main character was in an emotional turmoil of wether to come out or not. Each though he had showed a different color. Every color made up the colors of the rainbow. The effect were nothing mind blowing but the message was powerful.
Coming out was a cute feel good film. I felt good after it was over. Defiantly a must see for LGBT youth and people interested in what it means to come out of the closet. Heterosexual people might enjoy this film too. Give it a try, You might learn something.
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