Note: This review contains spoilers.
Even though we seem to live in the same world,
there are multiple worlds that do not intersect.
In the film, the protagonist makes this observation, and I felt a strong sense of resonance.
I might relate to his words because I am gay.
I have never been fully open about my sexuality, and even now, I have told very few people.
Living for a long time in a state of “I’m not lying, but there are things I don’t say” makes me feel that, although I share the same space with others, our worlds do not really intersect.
There are still many people critical of sexual minorities.
I am afraid of being hurt, so I avoid talking about my private life more than necessary.
I also do not ask about others’ private matters, and if someone talks to me about them, I refrain from judgment.
I have always avoided deep conversations, believing it was the right thing to do.
For this reason, I keep interactions with others to a minimum, only visiting familiar places and limiting conversations—
and I think this is why I felt both closeness and empathy toward the protagonist’s way of life.
Shifting the topic, the film suggests that the protagonist comes from a good family.
He is an intellectual who enjoys reading and listening to music,
and the interactions with his visiting sister indicate that he cut ties with his parents due to conflict, leaving home many years ago.
Listening to his sister say things like “Now you have this job…” or “You live in a place like this…”
I wondered if the film is trying to convey that “even if someone falls, they can still appreciate the beauty of the world and feel moved by it.”
If that is the intention, I found myself thinking, “That’s a bit presumptuous.”
Living each day calmly, keeping your surroundings clean, maintaining a routine, appreciating plants, enjoying music, nodding to familiar faces, and keeping a respectful distance—
the beauty that emerges from this way of life does not require the protagonist to have a “fallen” background.
However, perhaps I am overthinking.
The protagonist likely valued cultivating his own world more than family or inheritance, which is why he left home.
Because the film establishes that he originally belonged to the upper class, I imagine he “chose” janitorial work.
In other words, I do not think he “could only” do janitorial work.
I understand that the expression “could only do janitorial work” can demean the profession, so it is inappropriate.
I personally believe no occupation is inferior, and it is important to continue saying that.
Yet it is also true that some people have the freedom to choose their work while others have limited options.
If the protagonist had not had the freedom to choose his occupation, I wonder what kind of film this would have become.
Even if the protagonist had no choice in his profession,
there are things in the world beyond our control.
But every day, the world changes.
It is filled with brilliance,
and sunlight through leaves or shimmering water can captivate our eyes…
the world remains beautiful.
For example, if Takashi, who disappeared after borrowing money from the protagonist, had been the film’s main character,
when would he feel that “the world is beautiful”?
In Takashi’s state, unable to repay or apologize,
he might never reach a point of thinking, “Even so, the world is beautiful.”
