Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2009

©2009銀色の雨」製作委員会 Magic Hour

For his fourth film, director Takayuki Suzui (Angel in the Box) adapts a short story by popular writer Jiro Asada (Poppoya). Despite problems with the setup, Gin Iro no Ame offers an interesting plot. Kazuya (Kento Kaku) is a track and field star at his high school in Shimane and an all-around good kid. Yet the drudgery of delivering newspapers and training for track, as well as the expectations placed on him, are trying. When he’s accused of stealing a minor amount of money from his company, he freaks out, punches a co-worker, and runs away. Intending to go to Tokyo, he misses the train and ends up hanging out and moving in with fellow student Kikue (Aki Maeda). Then down-and-out boxer Shoji (Shido Nakamura) turns up at the bar where Kikue works part-time, and ends up moving in as well. The members of this unconventional “family” support each other, and the characters’ emotional issues are examined through flashbacks and well-constructed scenarios. While there is the occasional drift toward melodrama, Gin Iro no Ame is well done overall. English title: Silver Rain. (110 min)