Eiga Sai: Villain

"Villain", one of the films of Eiga Sai, the Japanese film festival held at Shangri-la, is a story of the two alternative theme interactions of love and irrationality: 1) How people are able to do stupid things (or weird) out of love for a person; 2) But more uncommonly, what love can do to irrationality.

The former talks of love as the cause to irrationality, such as how a death of a daughter urges a father to try to hunt down her daughter's murderer to seek justice extremely. The slightest defamation of his daughter's death would mean attacking with a wrench, an act only to be punctuated by his realization that some people laugh at other people's irrationalities because these people do not know how it's like to love. They laugh at other people's miseries, thinking it's comedic how fathers could go so far as to confront strangers and fall down pathetically for their daughters. But, in this laughing, they do not see the value of crying because of love. Another undertone is that of the female protagonist Mitsuyo–how in desperate need of love, she succumbs to a stranger from a dating site.

The latter revolves around irrationality as the cause to love. This delves with irrationality as a premise, and with what can love do to save it? as a question. Little did Mitsuyo know that the stranger was a murderer, named Yuichi, until he confesses to have killed the daughter of the irrational father. The confession would be ignored by Mitsuyo because: 1) the murder was an accident triggered by a malicious threat of the daughter; but more importantly 2) she's seen the side of Yuichi that knows how to love. She still is determined to love him, perhaps even more.  The news announces he is wanted for murder. Falling in love for the first time, Mitsuyo continues to fight for her love with Yuichi and flees with him, until she discovers that Yuichi is really a sociopath. This discovery is unfortunate however: in the middle of lovemaking, he snaps and tries to strangle her. 

The authorities find them in a lighthouse, just in time to rescue a breathless Mitsuyo. However, we see Yuichi trying to reach for the hand of Mitsuyo as he is taken away by the police. This indicates that he really loved Mitsuyo, albeit his love was temporarily restrained by his condition. 

Had Yuichi not been taken in by the police, Mitsuyo would still have loved him despite his fits.

The emotional battles of the different characters converge at a denouement: how acknowledging love becomes key to acceptance of the irrational.