She wonders if she is doing the right thing and about her inclination to overthink. One particularly poignant moment occurs while Chloe is traveling with her boss, Yatsuro (Issey Ogata). Occasionally, Gray gestures at bits of character development, but they are few and far between. Who is Chloe and where does she come from? Why go to Japan? How long has her husband been dead? Why does photography interest her? Who is Toshi outside of his burgeoning romance with Chloe? What are his desires? The characters remain frustratingly opaque. Yet the narrative’s inertia eventually stiffens these interactions, making them increasingly harder to indulge. Gray does an assured job capturing the languorousness of cross-cultural communication while mostly avoiding the pitfalls of condescension. Her communication with Toshi and his grandmother, neither of whom is proficient in English, comes off in fits and spurts. Chloe understands some Japanese but doesn’t speak it well. The awkwardness of their early interactions make up the beginnings of blood, which relishes the minute details of people getting to know one another. They are on their way to see Toshi’s grandmother (Sachiko Ohshima), an energetic old woman who tends an enviously lush garden. In the next moment, we see Chloe and Toshi driving along a verdant highway. An arresting opening sequence creates an inviting welcome to the film’s world: two trains chugging across bridges, river water glistening and the sun’s orange glow bathing the skyline. Gray and DP Eric Lin render Tokyo sensitively, the city and nearby countryside enlivened by the film’s soft focus. There’s a lot to marvel at in blood, especially when it comes to aesthetics. 'Talk to Me' Review: Mingling With the Spirit World Brings Bone-Chilling Shocks in Australian Horror Debut
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