A pensive character study deconstructing the profound effects which the approaching stench of death can have on the living, Ninomiya Ryutaro's Sweating the Small Stuff is centered around a character whom has found himself at a crossroads, being emotionally and intellectually challenged by the illness of a loved one. Featuring a main protagonist who abandoned his larger artistic ambitions many years ago for the simplicity of a blue-collar lifestyle, Ryutaro is a man who now begins to question his way of life, the existential nature of death bringing into question his vapid, debaucherous lifestyle. Reliant on a quietly meditative performance, Sweating the Small Stuff is pensive and intricate, where much of what told to the viewer throughout the course of film's running time is illustrated through performance and visual acumen. We are witnesses to a character full of internal struggle, and while the film offers up no cut and dry conclusions, it suggests that Ryutaro is awakened from his complacent, lackadaisical existence due to the threat of death associated with someone he cares about. In seeing the impending death of a loved one, he is a character who is forced to reevaluate his position in life, with Sweating the Small Stuff being a journey in which we watch this character stumble and stew, struggling to deal with heavy issues he long tried to avoid by choosing such a vapid, superficial existence.. A prudent character study about stagnation and personal growth, Sweating the Small Stuff exhibits how tragedy itself can often lead to triumph, with our main protagonist being a character who begins to show signs of recommitting to a life about more than just himself, due in large part to the existential dread associated with he eternal loss of a loved one.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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