Uijin: A Slow Burn That Demands Your Patience

Is this worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on how much coffee you’ve had. If you want high-octane drama, skip it. If you like the kind of movie where people stare at wooden walls for long periods while thinking about their ancestors, you’re home. It’s definitely a slow ride.

Toshio Hayashi has this way of holding his posture that tells you everything about his character without him saying a single word. He looks like he’s carrying the entire weight of the era on his shoulders. Or maybe he just had a stiff back that day.

The texture of the thing

There is a scene near the middle where they are just setting the table. It goes on forever. It’s almost hypnotic, but I found myself checking my phone, which is a bad sign. Then, suddenly, someone drops a bowl, and the sound is like a gunshot in a library. It snapped me right back into the room.

It’s not as lively as Hurry Doctor!, that’s for sure. The tone is much more serious, almost to a fault. Sometimes it feels like the movie is afraid to laugh.

• The lighting in the garden scenes is actually quite beautiful, though.
• The silence is used as a weapon.
• I really couldn't tell if the main character was being brave or just stubborn. Maybe both?

There’s a strange moment involving a tea ceremony that felt a bit like watching paint dry, but then the camera zoomed in on a hand trembling. That one little detail kept me watching. You don't get that kind of visual patience in modern movies, do you? Everything is so busy now. 🎞️

It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s certainly not for the casual viewer who just wants to kill time on a Tuesday. It feels more like an artifact. It’s a bit dusty, slightly frayed at the edges, and occasionally drags its feet.

But when it hits, it hits. There is a specific quality here that reminds me a bit of the heavy, societal pressures found in The Joyless Street, though the settings are worlds apart. It’s not trying to win you over with flash. It’s just trying to exist.

I left the film feeling like I’d just woken up from a long, slightly confusing nap. Not bad, just... heavy. ☕