The Charm of Others

Hyper-realistic, comic drama about a group of workers in a small Japanese vending-machine factory. The young men gossip in their grubby canteen about women and each other. In order to drive out the boredom, they play soccer on the colourless industrial site. The relationships do not entirely run smoothly: ‘senior’ employee Takahashi enjoys making his colleague Yoda feel every day that he is at the bottom of the ladder. Yoda barely reacts. In the meantime, Sakata, a cheerful kid, tries in vain to make friends with the taciturn Yoda. This ensemble film shows in a dryly comic way the everyday lives of these so very normal Japanese kids, who still have one foot in childhood, but need to make choices as adults. The director himself plays the lead of the charming Sakata, who closely observes his colleagues. As he does in the role of filmmaker: his clear gaze soon reveals how it all fits together.

Directed by Ryutaro Ninomiya, The Charm of Others leans on a strong ensemble — Yoshitaka Hosokawa, Ryutaro Ninomiya, Kensuke Ashihara — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2012.