Jyuni Nin no Shinitai Kodomotachi is an impactful mystery drama that delves into a heavy subject maturely.

 

Today's movie post deals with the heavy topic of suicide, so if this causes you distress, please consider skipping this post. Based on a brilliant novel by Tow Ubukata, Jyuni Nin no Shinitai Kodomotachi is a movie which I had held off from watching for some time due to the subject being close to home. Finally, after 3 years I managed to make it through to the end and thus here we are. 

As the title suggests, the movie focuses on 12 teenagers that plan to partake in a suicidal pact. At a pre-ordained time, each of the central characters make their way into an abandoned hospital. There's a certain ritual-like plan that they each go through as they all open a safe and attain a number from 1 to 12 in the order they arrive. Once they have obtained their number, they make their way down to the basement wherein, awaits the assembly hall. The assembly hall is filled with 12 beds, one for each teen, as well as a conference table with 12 chairs. As previously mentioned, these 12 teens have agreed to assemble in the hall to convene and upon a unanimous consensus in which they all agree to it, commit suicide as a group by taking the prepared drugs for a hopefully peaceful death. 

Things don't go quite so smoothly however, as there is an unplanned presence of a thirteenth person. This boy appears to have already gone ahead and died either through suicide or by being murdered. Naturally, this occurrence raises several questions and the group decide to hold off on the plan until they've investigated what happened to the boy and who is responsible for him being there. 

What I love about the movie is the way in which it handles the main theme of suicide. It's not an easy topic to brooch without someone complaining about insensitivity or stirring up bad memories. It has to be handled delicately and I believe that Jyuni Nin no Shinitai Kodomotachi does that fabulously. Each of the characters have their own unique reasons for wanting to commit suicide. It ranges from bullying, guilt, lost hope and even fatal diseases. What's interesting though is that behind each of their reasons for wanting death, is the lack of an adequate social environment. No one understood them enough to treat them with the much-needed respect and dignity. This could easily have been done cheaply and come across as the teens seeking attention in a childish manner, but thankfully it's handled smoothly. 

There's also the fact that the group has an unbreakable rule. The rule that they must reach a consensus in order to carry out the pact. This rule allows each character to have a voice in the matter, to be able to share their stories, express their doubts and to have willing listeners. Ultimately, the movie expresses the sentiment that through sharing our pain, struggles and opening our wounds for others to see, positive encounters can be had. 

Along with the movies bleak subject matter, the cinematography is subtly blue-tinted and dreary which adds to the overall tone quite well. The camera work is overall quite dynamic with a lot of movement via tracking and panning shots. My favourite shot of the movie is actually at the very beginning in which we get a top-down shot that tracks Satoshi as he wanders into the hospital. The way the camera swoops down behind to follow Satoshi is beautiful and I'm a sucker for such shots. 

I must also not forget to mention the subtle, yet suspenseful musical score done by Utena Kobayashi. It's masterfully done and the only music I didn't like was the ending song used in the credits. That credits song was too radio friendly and generic pop tune for my personal taste.

As far as the characters and performances are concerned, the movie does a fantastic job of ensuring that every single one of the main group are memorable and unique. They all get enough screen time to justify their existence which is a tough task for 12 main characters. I felt like everyone was impactful across the board in one way or another. I have a couple of favourites, but I liked all of the group except for Meiko. Meiko came across as such a pretentious narcissist and that's ok. Yurina Kurushima did a wonderful job in making Meiko a character that is easily detestable. Shinjiro was a cool detective type of character that did the deductions, and his backstory reveal was wonderfully done. Ryota Bando was great as the chinpira-like Seigo, Kotone Furukawa was splendid as the gothic Mitsue and her emotional scenes actually got to me a bit. Kanna Hashimoto did a tremendous job as Ryoko, and I also greatly loved Ai Yoshikawa as Mai. Hana Sugisaki was fantastic in her steely gazed, deeply brooding role of Anri. All in all, each of the cast members put in strong performances that made the teens feel mature beyond their age. 

It's worth noting that at least at the time of the movie's release, Japan had one of the highest rates of teenage suicides in the world and thus, the movie was very timely in its release. I sincerely hope that it reached at least one person and helped pull them back from the dark abyss. 

I would recommend the movie as it's entertaining, has a strong message that isn't ham-fisted and may potentially save someone's life if they view it at the right time.