Mizuho takes over a restaurant in Nago, Okinawa, which was left to her by her grandmother. She single-handedly runs “Gajimaru Diner”, named after the large, deeply-rooted Gajimaru (banyan) tree in the area. Eventually, circumstances lead to her being brought together with an unknown traveler named Hayato, her ex-boyfriend Shota who returns after living in Tokyo for the past seven years, and a woman named Riko who shares something with both of them. As they work at the diner together, their relationships reveal themselves differently than what they had in mind.
Although Christmas is a time of year for love and cheer for all, holiday cinema has not always represented diverse communities. Being a holiday with Christian origins, much of its media consists of straight white families or straight white romances. Luckily, modern years have been bringing with them plenty of POC and LGBTQ+ representation that the holidays so desperately need.
The more biting satire is reserved for those on top of the power structure, such as the police, while those occupying lower levels are given more nuance and likability, even if they operate on the wrong side of the law. This principle gives Deep Cover its heart.
Mirrorball is full of passion and love for the medium of cinema and is indeed a fitting love letter to La La Land.
Viewers get a glimpse of life of mediocrity in a world where humans and cartoon characters live together in this comeback.
Netflix's Afterlife of the Party might fall into the rom-com genre, but it's much more about grief, strong female friendships, and platonic love than it is about romance.
Another uneven "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" redux that says nothing novel about its subject matter.
