{"id":8672,"date":"2025-05-06T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/?p=8672"},"modified":"2025-05-06T12:53:42","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T17:53:42","slug":"the-sinister-side-of-pursuing-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/the-sinister-side-of-pursuing-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sinister Side of Pursuing Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 29 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

MOVIE REVIEW
\nBest Wishes to All (Mina ni sachi are)<\/strong>
\n\u00a0<\/strong>–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Horror, Mystery
\nYear Released: <\/strong>2024
\nRuntime: <\/strong>1h 29m
\nDirector(s): <\/strong>Y\u00fbta Shimotsu
\nWriter(s):<\/strong> Rumi Kakuta
\nCast:<\/strong> Kotone Furukawa, K\u00f4ya Matsudai
\nLanguage: <\/strong>Japanese with English subtitles
\nWhere to Watch:<\/strong> Streaming on Shudder June 13, 2025, shown at the 2025 Overlook Film Festival<\/p>\n

\n

RAVING REVIEW:\u00a0<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>BEST WISHES TO ALL sneaks up on you. It starts with a familiar tone that makes you almost forget you’re watching a horror movie\u2014until it flips expectations in the most unsettling ways. What begins as a slow, quiet visit to the countryside soon morphs into something much darker, asking serious questions about the cost of happiness and who ends up paying for it. Y\u00fbta Shimotsu doesn’t just want to creep you out\u2014he wants to make you uncomfortable in the deepest ways possible.<\/p>\n

\n

The setup is simple: a young nursing student visits her grandparents in the countryside before final exams. It\u2019s the setup you\u2019d expect to lead to lessons about family history or maybe a few ghost stories. But this is a different kind of narrative. The strange behavior starts small\u2014odd looks, peculiar laughter, a creeping sense that something isn\u2019t quite right in the house. And once it begins to snowball, there\u2019s no turning back.<\/p>\n

Its use of silence makes BEST WISHES TO ALL so effective. Shimotsu knows how to let a moment sit. A quiet hallway. A long stare. Even a mundane chore like slicing meat becomes threatening with the right camera angle and sound design. The house isn\u2019t haunted traditionally, but every room pulses with something just beneath the surface. The restrained editing lets scenes play out without jumping for quick scares. It\u2019s a slow build\u2014methodical and confident.<\/p>\n

That slow burn pays off when the real horror kicks in, and it\u2019s not what you expect. This isn\u2019t about monsters hiding in closets or ghosts appearing in mirrors. The real terror here lies in what people are willing to accept\u2014and even defend\u2014when their comfort depends on it. The story introduces a worldview in this community that\u2019s as disturbing as any supernatural element.<\/p>\n

Kotone Furukawa anchors the film with a performance that shifts from hopeful to harrowed. She plays the lead with a subtle sense of unease, never overacting but always communicating that something feels off. As the story unfolds, her gradual realization of what\u2019s happening gives the film its emotional pull. She\u2019s not just confronting strange relatives\u2014she\u2019s confronting an entire belief system. Her values clash with what she\u2019s told, which is \u201cjust the way things are,\u201d that internal conflict is where the story gets its bite.<\/p>\n

The performances around her, especially from the grandparents, are eerie without being over-the-top. Their sweetness feels performative in all the wrong ways, and their cheerfulness takes on a disturbing quality as the truth emerges. It\u2019s in the contrast that the horror works best\u2014sunlit rooms, friendly faces, and horrifying beliefs lurking just behind the smiles.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a strong undercurrent of social commentary in BEST WISHES TO ALL. While never heavy-handed, the story nods to larger concerns about aging populations, societal apathy, and the generational philosophy that sees youth as currency to be spent rather than nurtured.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard not to admire the craft on display. Shimotsu\u2019s directorial style is steady and confident. The film has unusual blocking and deliberate sound design that never tries to overwhelm you but pulls you into its quiet dread. There\u2019s confidence in the restraint, which lets viewers work for their discomfort rather than handing it over in cheap thrills.<\/p>\n

Perhaps what\u2019s most refreshing is that BEST WISHES TO ALL doesn\u2019t pretend to have easy answers. It ends in a way that forces reflection rather than relief. You\u2019re left thinking about the implications of what you just witnessed and questioning where your comfort comes from\u2014and at what cost.<\/p>\n

BEST WISHES TO ALL stands apart not because it reinvents the genre but because it quietly challenges its audience. It doesn\u2019t beg for attention. It sits with you, stares you down, and lets its ideas do the haunting. Shimotsu\u2019s feature isn\u2019t flawless, but it leaves an impression\u2014and chills in its wake.<\/p>\n

Please visit https:\/\/linktr.ee\/overlyhonestr for more reviews.<\/p>\n

You can follow me on Letterboxd, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. My social media accounts can also be found on most platforms by searching Overly Honest Reviews.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about movies.<\/p>\n

[photo courtesy of Shudder, Booster Project, Kadokawa, Movie Walker, Peek a Boo Films]<\/em><\/p>\n

DISCLAIMER:<\/strong>
\nAt Overly Honest Movie Reviews, we value honesty and transparency. Occasionally, we receive free items for review, including DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, Vinyl, Books, etc. We assure you that these arrangements do not influence our reviews, as we are committed to providing unbiased and sincere evaluations. We aim to help you make informed entertainment choices regardless of our relationship with distributors or producers.<\/p>\n

Amazon Affiliate Links:<\/strong>
\nAdditionally, this site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may receive a commission. This affiliate arrangement does not affect our commitment to honest reviews and helps support our site. We appreciate your trust and support in navigating these links.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \n
\n \n \"Happy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Happy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sad\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sad <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Excited\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Excited <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Sleepy\"\n <\/a>\n
\n Sleepy <\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n \n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Angry\"\n <\/a>\n
Angry<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \"Surprise\"\n <\/a>\n
Surprise<\/div>\n
\n 0<\/span>\n 0<\/span> %<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MOVIE REVIEW Best Wishes to All (Mina ni sachi are) \u00a0–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Genre: Horror, Mystery Year Released: 2024 Runtime: 1h 29m Director(s): Y\u00fbta Shimotsu Writer(s): Rumi Kakuta Cast: Kotone Furukawa, K\u00f4ya Matsudai Language: Japanese with English subtitles Where to Watch: Streaming on Shudder June 13, 2025, shown at the 2025 Overlook Film Festival RAVING REVIEW:\u00a0BEST WISHES […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,18,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital","category-film-festival","category-overlook-film-festival"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8672"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8867,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8672\/revisions\/8867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}