There may have been a film even earlier, but I think Kurosawa's "Rashômon" (1950) was the first film to delve deep into the twisted convolutions of human perception. Take a sensational event and study how different witnesses will remember it, often in complete conflict with each other, due to selfishness, pride or willful ignorance. Gilligan's Island did this a few times, too.I think Yureru went one step beyond Rashômon (and maybe even beyond Gilligan), because in this film the witnesses are dynamic, fickle in their perceptions, and their own memories are prone to wild swings of "truth" to the point that they themselves aren't sure of what truth really is. Is that what the title "Sway" means? It sure seems to fit.I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone due to its heavy, ponderous nature, but certainly if you're a fan of Kurosawa's work... or a student of Kant ...or you stay up sleepless nights wondering if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is there to hear it does it make a sound... then by all means watch this film.Soundtrack is groovy. Images are artistically & beautifully shot. Editing is very suspenseful to those who are paying attention. The final 10 seconds are brilliant--one of the most memorable and powerful conclusions I've seen in a long while.

This intriguing film is a combination of a family, psychological, and courtroom drama. It has all the elements that one would experience anywhere in the world except here the viewer has a look at situations with a Japanese sensibility.Takeru is the younger brother of a provincial family who has left his small town to seek a career in photography in Tokyo. He returns to the family home after several years due to the death of his mother. There he is greeted with disdain by his conservative father and a distant warmth by his older brother, Minoru who has stayed in the small town to carry on the family's business, a gasoline station.On the way to his father's and brother's home, Takeru sees that his old girlfriend, Chieko is working at his family's station. He finds that Chieko has been hired by his father as a hopeful match for his older brother.After an argument with his father, Takeru goes out, meets up with Chieko, and the two eventually have sex. Takeru is ready to return to Tokyo the next morning but his brother convinces him to go with him to a beautiful gorge where their parents used to take them as kids. Minoru has invited Chieko to go along not knowing, of course, that she has had sex with his younger brother just the night before.Up to this point in the film, the viewer can assume that this is going to be a family drama about the conflict between the two brothers over a woman, but at the gorge Chieko falls from a suspension bridge to her death. The fall is not witnessed by the viewer and, from this point on, is seen in the minds of the brothers. Thus begins the psychological aspect of the film. Later, when older brother, Minoru is charged with murder beginning an intriguing courtroom drama.It is always interesting to see these elements of drama taking place in another culture because it offers insight into the way they are view in different societies. For me, it was interesting to see how really provincial the family was in the small town. I would have thought that in modern-day Japan that that would not be so. Of course, elements are probably adjusted for the sake of drama, but because this is an award winning film, I would assume that depictions are pretty accurate. Another interesting insight is the trial and courtroom scenes which are so very different from those examples of courtroom scenes in the United States.The basic elements of the film, however, are common to any culture, and that's what makes this movie so entertaining. The actors who portray the brothers were both nominated for the Japanese Oscar, and they are really good. The photography is striking, and the only negative I can see is that the editing seems to be a bit choppy, but this, I have found, is a somewhat common element in Asian films. It's probably that culture thing again. If you are interested in Japanese cinema, this film is one you should see.

True, extremely true; The director arrange the pace and sequence perfectly.You won't get the true story until the last minutes.Nice photography; nice music; GREAT actors~ Would recommend to watch.THe truth is, I am too obsessed with peace and too scare about reality so...really tough for me to say "I love it"The family relationship is complicate;the lover relationship is complicate;the background information is complicate;the brotherhood is complicate;Why I should submit at least 10 line of text???

"Sway" (eng. title) is a genuine example of good Japanese film. It reminded me a lot of titles like "Unagi" and "A Day on the Planet". Sway depicts an increasingly shattered family after the death of the mother. The younger son, Takeru, goes home to his hometown to visit the funeral. Inevitably, he gets involved in a romance with his ex-girlfriend Chieko, who happens to be the love of his shy, older brother Minoru. Things take a sad turn as Chieko dies and the older brother gets suspected for murder. The movie focuses on the dynamics between the two brothers, the father and their lawyer uncle who comes to help out. The camera movements are very beautiful and the atmosphere incredibly rich. The pace is slow, as would be expected by Japanese movies of this kind, which gives the viewer time to think and grow into the story as time passes.Sway contains several unexpected and interesting turns, but is not very action packed. I highly recommend the movie to anyone who liked the titles I mentioned in the beginning.