Cutie and the Boxer

I was expecting a movie about a brilliant but not really well known artist and the woman behind him. I was expecting the movie to explore their long relationship. This is what I got, but what hit me from left field was how the movie focused on boxing painter Ushio Shinohara's wife Noriko, as she used the film (and her art) to pent her frustration of her life being over shadowed by a semi self destructive genius.

It was an interesting story of a young girl who leap into her ideals without looking and more so fell in love with an ideal that embodied Ushio Shinohara.

Cutie and the Boxer gives off a strange feeling. It's a downer without being depressing. She never gives the impression that you should feel sorry for her. After all, she lived her dreams, it just did not turn out as she thought it would. I'm sure a lot of artist feel the same about their struggle.

It's a brilliant movie about two struggling artist both financially emotionally and in the case of Cutie artistically.

And I love how the filmmaker allows the narrative to tell most of the story with very little voice over or interview. He points the camera at Cutie and The Boxer and lets it tell the tale with inter cuts of home movies archive footage and moving graphics of Cutie's Art. I learned so much about the couple in this matter and it was clear without adding too many traditional documentary device.

Definitely, one of the most interesting subjects I've seen for a documentary.

It was the perfect title name. Cutie (Noriko) is an illustrator and her husband Bullie (Ushio) is 20 years older than her who is a craft maker live in New York city. Usually documentaries about successful people would consider as inspiration. But this movie features two Japanese born couples who are masterful in art and crafts and their unsuccessful career. A good opportunity for us, a lesson to learn from their mistakes in life. Simultaneously, their relationship inspires about how to share happiness as well to face the worst situations.

This movie won't only tell about the art and crafts, but also the romantic life. Especially it clearly denotes the difference between east and west regarding relationships. Married life is full of ups and downs, taking part in all the situation together is a true commitment. In this movie, it explains very nicely those subplots alongside main theme. When Bullie was in a trouble Cutie gave a solid support, that is what every man asks for. They too had small-small fights sometime big. In the west, that is enough one to get divorced.

This story is set when Bullie celebrates his 80th birthday. It was amazing to know their 40 year relationship stood unbreakable. But what I bothered was their son Alex who was totally discarded in between these two's life's struggles. Too bad that he became alcoholic like his father that led him failure in life. This movie won't tell much about Alex, he appears only for a few minutes. At those times it is clearly understandable about failed parenting.

Success won't only come from the true dedication, sometimes it depends on others too. It requires identifying their talent and give an opportunity to work and right value for their products. This couple's talent was not recognized due to the people of society who are unfamiliar with this kinda art. I believe if they would have lived those 40 years in Japan it would have been different lifestyle they could experienced. Only the time and place they had was wrong.

8.5/10

My wife and I have sat through countless biopics about famous artists, and after virtually every one we have the same thought: the movie would have been so much more interesting if it had focused on the artist's life partner instead of the artist. Famous artists in general are a boring bunch -- what's interesting about them is the art they produce. But the people who have to make a life with an artist -- they're the ones whose heads I want to get a peek at.

"Cutie and the Boxer" is a documentary about well-known artist Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. He's 80, she's 60. They live hand-to-mouth in NYC, never sure how they're going to pay their rent from one month to the next. Noriko is incredibly supportive of the self-absorbed Ushio, to the detriment of her own career as an artist. The film is a day-in-the-life story about these two and the dynamic between them. It's a portrait of a marriage that has been wildly successful on the one hand (they're still together and seem to be very much in love) and full of regret on the other (disappointment in themselves for the mess of a son they raised). Noriko teases Ushio constantly about what a jerk he is and how she doesn't know why she puts up with him. Ushio laughs but looks uneasy -- we don't blame him, because Noriko's teasings always seem to built on a foundation of true resentment.

The lives of Ushio and Noriko are about as different from mine as possible, yet the thing that makes "Cutie and the Boxer" so good is its appeal is universal. Anyone who's made a true effort at building a life with a partner should find something to relate to in this film.

Grade: A

Age is a funny thing. Most days I really feel my age, but from outward appearances, most people guess well below my actual years.

As we age, we tend to think of dying and disease. One of the partners in a marriage is usually suffering more than the other. You have to sometimes forget your troubles to tend to the other.

This film is about a married couple who have reached that point in their lives. We see how they see themselves and their partner. Noriko willingly made sacrifices for Ushio, but now she wants to develop her own interests.

The dance between these two artists is fascinating, tender, and sometimes loud, but never boring.

I think the purpose of this film is to provide viewers insight on the life of a married couple. The mental and physical strain each partner experiences throughout the marriage. Also I think it was meant to show the life's of struggling artists. I think personally this couple is lacking affection and there actions show it for sure throughout the film. In the beginning of the film I got the feeling that art is what brought them together and toward the end I felt art is what is keeping them together. Watching this film made me appreciate art more.I really enjoyed the significance of the film which felt was the couple it's self.