Family secrets.
A documentary director is making a documentary about a teenage girl and a teacher who are both deceased. This is an important project for her, and she discovers how society works when she interviews the families of the deceased teacher and teenage girl. But then a dark family secret knocks on her door. Her father runs a cram school where she also teaches, and she finds herself in the lead role in her own documentary.
“A Balance” is a solid movie that offers some twists and turns when the protagonist is making a documentary, a dark documentary about a tragedy. But as viewers, we are watching two documentaries, and she is suddenly in the spotlight when she tries to hide a dark family secret that could destroy her small family’s life, which means her and her father’s life.
This is yet another movie that’s difficult to talk about without revealing the story. But the protagonist gets closer to a teenage girl who doesn’t live an easy life. Her father is a simpleton and not capable of taking care of his daughter. The refrigerator is empty, they have no electricity, and she can’t pay for the cram school tuition.
She also gets closer to the families of the deceased persons she’s making a documentary about. She discovers that this case didn’t just cost two people their lives; it also ruined the lives of the people who are left behind. She wants to tell their story too since she feels the school got off easily. But she has to fight for what she wants to stay and say in the documentary. This is a hard life!
The acting is solid. I’m a fan of the actress Kumi Takiuchi who plays the protagonist. She is always solid, and I feel people have been sleeping on her. She can play different types of roles, and she is so good in “A Balance.” I wasn’t sure what she would do when she’s acting too nice to a character, and you feel there is something disturbing going on in her mind. She seems like a really good person, but working with the documentary and trying to hide her dark family secret makes her take a step over to the dark side.
The only thing I didn’t quite like was the last scene in the movie. I think I understand it, and after thinking more about it, it sort of works. But I would have preferred that the end credits appeared before this scene. It sort of makes sense, but at the same time, it doesn’t make much sense. I’m caught in the middle!