Just by looking at the poster, I was expecting the average Japanese drama where characters have to spell out every single thought and show off their soap opera acting. Never been happier to be proven wrong! “Intolerance” is a restrained yet nuanced depiction of the different reactions that people may have when facing the same tragedy. Some just run away, some lie, some prefer to blame anyone else, some resort to violence and self-justice, some get judgemental, some people even end up punishing themselves. They are all victims of a casual event and, at the same time, guilty to some extent.

I like how the movie never judges its characters; it just lets us observe them as they deal with their sense of guilt in radically different ways. Interestingly, the key details of the accident are purposely left vague: we never get to see what the two drivers were doing, and the girl’s real intentions at the supermarket are also unclear (if you look closely, she got stopped before she could actually do anything). As if finding out whose fault it was was not even the point.

Some might argue that the father’s behavior and acting were exaggerated, but I swear people like that actually exist in Japan. The only character that really felt a little too much on the nose and out of place was the supermarket cashier, especially when she shows up at night in the second half.

While the human drama was most convincing, the social critique felt too dated and simplistic, with the usual stereotypes about the press manipulating information and the schools covering up inconvenient information.