Review Japan Movie "Parasite in Love" – strange Japanese romance stars Nana Komatsu and Kento Hayashi as a pair of young obsessive-compulsives

Apr 4, 2022

Parasite in Love is a 2021 film that has just been released on Netflix. The film is directed by Kensaku Kakimoto, with a screenplay from Yukiko Yamamuro that is based on the 2016 novel Koi Suru Kiseichu by Sugaru Miaki. Produced by Takanori Iwakami, Kazunari Hashiguchi and Shinichiro Tojima, the cinematographer of the film is Kateb Habib and, the film is distributed by Kadokawa Pictures and Netflix.

The psychological romantic drama stars Kento Hayashi as Kengo Kosaka, Ryo Ishibashi as Yuichi, Arata Iura as Izumi and, Nana Komatsu as Sanagi Hijiri. With a runtime of 1 hour 40 minutes, the film has audio present only in Japanese but, subtitles are available both in Japanese and English.

Parasite in Love: Are Your Feelings Ever Your Own?

Netflix’s latest Japanese title Parasite in Love questions the integrity of love and feelings and if it is really ours or a manipulated result of some parasite in our head. With excellent visual grammar and keeping things to the most minimal as possible with the dialogues, the film is as uncomfortable and unconventional as it would be like in a Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography, a different form of love, flaws that come with it and a twisted toxic exposition.

The film is headlined by two protagonists who have their own fears and phobias that make them rejects in society but when they discover each others’ company, they find some unknown form of acceptance and reduced fear. Kengo Kosaka is a young man, who is a germaphobe (a constant fear of dirtiness and contamination, an extreme form of mysophobia). This phobia has given rise to a rigorous compulsive disorder that stops him from developing a relationship with anyone.

On the other hand is Sangi Hijiri, who suffers from Scopophobia (excessive fear of being stared at). Her fear is the root of anxiety and restlessness due to which she refuses to go to school or interact with people. We see both our protagonists cross paths rather unexpectedly and under very jarring circumstances. Thereafter, the duo slowly grows closer but, when they fall in love it is not just two young people in love but, a grand plan to execute and experiment on the dark, unforeseen secret.

Parasite in Love

Parasite in Love speaks aeons with its visual grammar, the cinematography and editing are done with a finesse that makes the subtle metaphors layered throughout the film stand out without being too loud or taking the light away from the subplots unfolding in the film. There are snippets of animations used to showcase certain extreme fears and exaggerate them to help the audiences understand the difficulty our protagonists are facing and, they are at times great aid to bridging the gap between the viewers and the artists on screen.

The film also is a good frame that discusses mental disorders and how they affect people suffering from them as well as the people around them. From how childhood trauma leaves a permanent and irreversible mark on a child to how the treatment of being unconventional and different from others labels you as the deformed and unfunctional one.

Parasite in Love: Final Verdict

Being a book adaptation it is hard to say if Parasite in Love was true to its source material or not, without reading the book. However, looking at it as an independent piece of cinema, it really surprises you, makes you uncomfortable with realities and questions we might not essential confront in our everyday life. The actors, direction, cinematography all sync well together to provide this unique cinema.

Parasite in Love