At the terrace (2016)

	Also Known As: Sulla terrazza
	Year of first release: 2016
	Director: Kenji Yamaushi
	Actors: Ishibashi Kei, Hiraiwa Kami, Furuya Ryuta, Iwatani Kenji, Morooka Hiroako, Okabe Takashi, Hashimoto Atsushi
	Country: J
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 22.04.2017, Teatro Nuovo, FEFF2017
Synopsis: With the party winding down in a rich mansion, designer Saito (Furuya) and his wife Haruko (Hiraiwa) try to go home, but the home owners (Ishibashi) and (Iwatani) try to keep them there longer. The only guests remaining are a thin middle-aged man (Okabe) and a Toyota employee (Morooka). The home owners' son (Hashimoto) arrives back home. While having idle talk, someone praises Haruko's white arm. The talk takes an unexpected course.
Review: The plot reminds me somehow the theater play Le dieu du carnage by Yasmina Reza, that has been set into a movie by Roman Polanski in Carnage. The classical theatre format with unicity of action, location (the terrace) and time (one evening) is given. The action evolves slowly and firmly from a small talk, deviates to woman rivalry and insanity, even if all characters are always polite and never aggressive. Violent events (Haruko leaving the terrace, sexual harassment) are pushed by deviant dialogues. Sequence of dialogues is rythmed by several events (Okabe falling sick) and non-events (blanks leading to continue the small talk in the often unpleasant place where it stopped). As a viewer, one feels invited in this party and disturbed as the characters are disturbed. If you like dialogues in a movie, this movie is for you! The acting is amazing. The emotions look very authentic with the tense politeness, the contained aggressivity and all expressed sexualities. Great actors and especially the women Ishibashi and Hiraiwa during their duel on the beauty of the arm. Or diplomatic talk between Furuya and Iwatani on the sexual harassment. Directing thinks about the background. On the static shot (French: plan fixe) several things are happening within this sometimes large group of people. But the viewer doesn't get much about it, in particular behind the curtain or in the shower room.  These extended areas introduce some mystery or hide apparently side events. The directing is therefore very clever and even if it is very theatrical, the directing is great!
Rating: 8 /10