One night is one in a slew of films that actor Takeru Satoh has been in over the last year or so. The film was directed by Kazuya Shiraishi and written by Izumi Takahashi. Mayu Matsuoka, Ryohei Suzuki, Veteran actor Kuranosuke Sasaki, and veteran actress Yuko Tanaka comprise the casting along with Satoh. I also believe the film was adapted from a novel but don't quote me on that.
One rainy night a mother kills her abusive husband in front of their family cab company. She then leaves her three children behind to turn herself in. Fifteen year later she returns to her children suddenly, fulfilling the promise she made to return to them years before. What has become of her children during those fifteen years and how will her appearance affect them now?
One night was a film that is very settle in how it's story chooses to express itself. At many many moments in this film, things feel slow moving, yet interesting as each scene plainly showcases everything to the viewer. subjects such as connections in families and a mother's love play an important role in the film's excitement. Even then, I wouldn't say that I left one night feeling completely satisfied. I felt more alright with how event concluded but still a bit sad because One night manages to give two storylines in one plot. Well, I guess three storylines if you count the other relationship that was more for comedy/filler content. However, The story about the father and son was left a bit unfinished. Another scene toward the end with the two would have been a nice scene to close with. Much of the film is dark due to the subject of murder the plot's foundation is on. There's a lot of wrestling back and forth about whether the murder was justified or not. We can all agree that murder is wrong on all levels. I still could relate to the situation the Mother was in though. She was in between a rock and a hard place which I think the acting conveys very well. Overall, One Night is a dark film that should be enjoy for it's maturity in how it handles difficult topics. I did feel the film ran a bit over time then what was needed.
The performances by the whole cast is pretty much what One Night was. This film relied so heavily on the cast that there isn't really room for a lackluster actor to be in the mix. I loved the scene where the mother kills the father but you don't actually see her do it until a flashback scene latter in the film. When Yuko comes into the home, you can see the weight of what she has done in her body posture and her facial expression. Her acting is enough to signal to the viewer how horrific what she's done was without show her committing the murder. Ryohei Suzuki is an actor that's more known to give a light hearted laugh than to lead you down a dark road which he does as the youngest son. That inner war he has with himself throughout the film was a very emotional to see. His stutter confused me a bit. Sometimes the plot has his character like he developed a stutter because of physical abuse then other times it seems like he had the stutter the whole time. Takeru is in another dead give away role. He's played rebel character's before that are quiet hotheads. He's the most well known among the cast but I wouldn't say he shined the brightest in his portrayal. He was good like always though. Mayu is a good actress too. She's even better when she has scenes with Yuko as their chemistry brings out a pure honesty in her acting.
One Night was a good film that comes with bumps in the road. Charming bumps in the road that will hurt you emotionally. I would prepare yourself if you're triggered by scenes of child abuse. There's only one really major one by the way..... It will make you so angry that you'll want to cry.
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