No Call No Life (2021)

Twisted, dark, fantasy

I saw this movie yesterday and I can't get it out of my head. Aside from some of the most beautiful cinematography, No call No Life is a very deep complex story that I believe would need a second viewing as all good movies do. It's at the forefront an eerie mystery with a starcrossed romance. The cast play their roles brilliantly especially the two leads, Inoue Yuki and Yuki Mio.

I also noticed quite a few things that may be missed or overlooked.
*The theme of elements:
Earth (dirt plays a significant part in certain scenes) The characters feeling tied down to the place they live and the hope of being able to uproot oneself and start over.
Air: I believe air is represented as literal airwaves of space and time. The mystery of the odd phone calls...
Fire: Fireworks play a significant role in how the two leads meet and is used in pivotal scenes throughout the movie.
Water: This element is the main one that is symbolized in the movie. The Female lead is named Umi meaning ocean/sea. The male lead is named Harukawa meaning spring river. I don't think this a coincidence. Umi also has the surname Sakura, which are found in the springtime. Basically both Umi and Harukawa are the same (The season Spring (renewal) and the element water). Umi's cousin mentions how similar she is to Harukawa more than once and warns that them being together could only end in tragedy. Also, water is brought up a lot..from a bucket of water in a love scene, the omnipresent ocean representing escapism and freedom, a broken glass of water that leads to confession, even a water maintenance man showing up in one scene. Umi and Harukawa symbolize water afterall and this is their story.

Not everything is explained, but that's okay here and it just adds to the unsettling dark atmosphere of this film. I give it a 9/10.

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