Movies about love are always popular because who doesn’t love a feel-good romantic story? But sometimes, life doesn’t always go the way we want, blurring the lines of what society accepts.
Here are three thought-provoking Japanese movies that are nowhere near a fairytale romance. The controversial protagonists of these films are intense and may be disturbing to some extent, but their stories will change the way you look at life and love.
Ride or Die (2021)
Would you kill for love? Even for an unrequited love from 10 years ago?
Ride or Die is a “Thelma & Louise” female buddy road crime film with a twist. Rei (Kiko Mizuhara), a beautiful young woman, seduces a man in a bar and then violently murders him in his own home. This seemingly random victim is the abusive husband of Nanae (Honami Sato), Rei’s high-school classmate for whom she had a huge crush. In a most destructive declaration of love, Rei readily agrees to kill for Nanae, even though they had lost touch for 10 years.
Ditching her existing girlfriend, Rei then hits the road together with her long-lost lover, in order to escape their crime. Armed with sexy stilettos and a swanky red car, they go on a truth-seeking journey where revelations about their past are slowly disclosed.
It is an emotional journey that is filled with love, pain, sexuality and a touch of freedom.