⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (My Rating: 5/5)
🎬 Title: Midnight Swan (ミッドナイトスワン)
Release Year: 2020 / Director: Eiji Uchida / Runtime: 124 min
Synopsis
Nagisa is a transgender woman working nights at a New Shinjuku show club, carefully building a life where she can breathe—quietly, stubbornly, on her own terms. One day, she is suddenly asked to take in Ichika, a teenage girl who has been neglected and abused at home.
They don’t understand each other at first. Nagisa doesn’t want trouble. Ichika doesn’t know how to trust anyone. But as they begin living under the same roof, something unexpected starts to grow—an awkward, fragile bond that looks nothing like a “normal family,” and yet feels more real than most.
Ichika’s world begins to shift when ballet enters her life, and Nagisa, watching from the shadows, finds herself changing too—pulled toward a new kind of love that she never thought she was allowed to have.
Review
She Wanted to Be a Mother — A Transgender Protagonist Questions the Meaning of Family
Nagisa, a transgender woman, ends up sheltering Ichika, a young girl who has been abused and pushed aside by those meant to protect her. Having both lived as outsiders in society, the two gradually open their hearts to one another. Within their fragile yet growing bond, the film finds a quiet beauty — the beauty of resisting injustice and surviving circumstances that seem designed to silence them.
Why Students Should Watch This Film Now
Everyone carries their own invisible struggles. This film reminds us of that simple but profound truth. It encourages us not only to respect others, but also to respect ourselves.
Being part of the majority is not the problem in itself. What isolates minorities is the choice to do nothing — the silence, the indifference. Through this story, I hope viewers come to understand how inaction can deepen isolation, and how small acts of empathy can begin to change that reality.
Cultural Footnotes
For viewers outside Japan, a bit of context may deepen the impact of this film.
Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, who plays Nagisa, was originally known as a member of the hugely popular idol group SMAP. For many years, he was primarily recognized as a singer and television personality. His role in Midnight Swan marked a major turning point in his career, earning him widespread recognition as a serious dramatic actor in Japan.
Watching him shed his former “idol” image to portray such a restrained and emotionally complex character adds an additional layer of meaning for Japanese audiences.
Major Awards Won for Midnight Swan
- 🏆 Japan Academy Film Prize – Best Actor
- 🏆 Blue Ribbon Award – Best Actor
- 🏆 Kinema Junpo Award – Best Actor
- 🏆 Mainichi Film Award – Best Actor
These awards are among the most prestigious film honors in Japan, and sweeping them in a single year was seen as extraordinary.
The film is set in Shinjuku, an area of Tokyo that includes Ni-chōme, one of Japan’s most well-known LGBTQ+ districts. It is home to many small bars and nightlife establishments where gay and transgender individuals work and gather. While the area offers community and visibility, it also reflects a social reality: in Japan, there are still relatively few workplaces where LGBTQ+ individuals can live and work openly without fear of discrimination. As a result, nightlife and entertainment spaces have historically become some of the limited places where they can exist more freely.
Understanding this background makes Nagisa’s life feel even more fragile and courageous. Her desire to become a mother is not simply personal — it quietly challenges long-standing social boundaries in Japan.
Highlights
- A story that treats its characters as people first, not “issues”
- Tsuyoshi Kusanagi’s performance—restrained, intense, and painfully honest
- Ballet used not as decoration, but as emotion and survival
- A score that feels like quiet winter air—beautiful, but sharp
Lowlights
- Some scenes are emotionally heavy enough that you might need breaks (I did)
- The realism can feel almost too close—especially if you’ve experienced isolation or family issues
- If you prefer fast plots, the film’s stillness might feel slow (but that stillness is the point)
Verdict
Midnight Swan is the kind of film that doesn’t just make you cry—it makes you question the world you live in, and the choices you make when you see someone being left behind.
It’s not an “easy watch,” but it’s a necessary one. And for students especially, I think it hits hard in the best way: it asks us to notice people we’ve been trained to ignore, and to rethink what kindness actually costs.
Credits
Director / Screenplay: Eiji Uchida
Music: Keiichiro Shibuya
Cast: Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (Nagisa), Misaki Hattori (Ichika), Asami Mizukawa, Tomorowo Taguchi, Sei Matobu