Photo credit: Daum Movies
It is a Japanese comedy film directed by Shinobu Yaguchi and starring Haruka Ayase and Seiichi Tanabe. It is a story of stewardesses, pilots, and ground crew, sponsored by Japanese airline ANA and set at Tokyo International Airport.
There are spoilers for the movie:)
Airports and planes that make me excited just thinking about them
Because of the coronavirus, it has been difficult to travel abroad as well as domestically for a while. I was scared of the situation where I might catch the coronavirus by spreading it to someone else, but I was really careful because I was worried that my family might catch it or other people would suffer because of me, but even if I was that careful, I still caught it, so once I caught it, I relaxed my guard a little. I never thought I’d get it once, but looking back now, I’ve had it three times and it made me realize that I really am a person with a weak immune system.) However, despite this, I was still reluctant to travel, and I wanted to at least take a plane even if I couldn’t go far. I don’t know if everyone’s feelings are the same, but during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, non-landing flights were popular, but I didn’t go on one, but I thought of this movie more at that time. This movie is a flight story with Haruka Ayase as a stewardess and Seiichi Tanabe as a pilot. Actually, I was interested in the flight story at first, but I watched this movie because I heard that Haruka Ayase was in it. I like it because this actor seems to radiate harmless, bright energy. In reality, actors are also human, so the tension may not always be high, but when you see this actor in a cheerful and bright movie or drama, the brightness seems to increase even more. Of course, he is an actor who acts well even in dark works such as White Night. So, since this movie is a flight story featuring Haruka Ayase, I remember watching it happily without any hesitation. The genre is classified into comedy and drama, and although it wasn’t a movie that was so funny that it made you laugh out loud, there were quite a few parts that made me laugh a little. This film was first released at the 13th Busan International Film Festival.
An unexpected accident! Will I be able to complete the flight safely?
First officer Suzuki (Seiichi Tanabe) is about to take his final flight to be promoted to captain. I’m about to fly to Honolulu, but Captain Harada, who is also my supervisor, is a notoriously picky person, so I get nervous even before departure. Harada keeps testing things by asking questions or giving instructions, making Suzuki sweat even before he starts. Meanwhile, on the plane, Etsuko (Haruka Ayase), a novice stewardess, is about to take her first international flight. The team leader is famous for being scary, but Etsuko, who is full of energy but is a bit clumsy, keeps making mistakes and gets on the team leader’s radar. Problems continue to arise even as passengers board the plane, and a variety of passengers, including those who are afraid of airplanes and those who act out the truth, create various episodes. I hope to reach Honolulu safely and quickly, but an unexpected bird attack(?) causes a defect in the aircraft. The way I found out about this was also pleasant. This movie shows that small things can come together to create something big, and it also shows how each small force plays its role in solving a big problem. The plane shakes, and Suzuki and Etsuko literally panic for a moment, but they receive an order to make an emergency return to Tokyo and turn the plane around. I thought I would arrive in Tokyo safely, but with the typhoon blowing, even landing was not easy. Will Suzuki and Etsuko be able to stabilize the passengers and arrive in Tokyo safely?
People gathered to make an airplane fly well
In fact, what made this movie particularly interesting was that it showed people who worked quietly and responsibly until a plane took off and arrived safely at its destination. Until now, airplane-related movies have often focused on pilots and stewardesses. There were a lot of stories that mainly dealt with episodes with passengers on airplanes and difficulties at work, but this movie features a truly diverse group of aviation officials. Director Shinobu Yaguchi is said to have interviewed over 100 aviation officials over the course of two years, and it was very interesting to be able to see a little bit of their side of the story. Of course, we know in our heads that there are many people working hard to fly a plane safely, but isn’t it difficult to see it in reality? In this film, pilots, stewardesses, control towers, airport staff, bird extermination teams, mechanics, control rooms, etc. appear in the background to show how many people work hard to make airplanes take off and land safely. I was unfamiliar with the job of the bird extermination team, but I learned about it through this movie, and I was able to understand that it was a very important job, as a single bird could cause a serious accident. Also, it is said that this movie was filmed on an actual airplane with support from ANA, so it felt more realistic. However, it is said that filming was not permitted in the cockpit for security reasons. This is a movie I would like to recommend to people who miss airplanes all the time and to people who want to see the vivid images of airports. You can also see Ayase Haruka’s harmless smile as much as you like.