Easy Living (Orso Miyakawa, Peter Miyakawa, 2019): Italy

Reviewed by Kirsten Anderberg. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

“Easy Living” was my favorite movie from the 2020 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The reason I say this is the theme and acting haunt me. I have thought about this movie more times after seeing it than any other movie I saw at the festival. It haunts me on several levels, as well. But mostly, it is gripping due to the emotional attachment the directors and actors were able to instill in the audience, and the feeling of longing and freedom extracted from the plot.

This movie is strong and tender. In the directors’ statement about this film, they say that they made a conscious effort to tell a story about illegal immigration using friendship, not charity. I love that the directors asked themselves: “a movie that touches such urgent and dramatic issues, does it necessarily need to be a tragedy?” The brothers Miyakawa have proven the answer is “no!” “Easy Living” humanizes the issue of illegal immigration, but it also humanizes the issues of coming of age, freedom, social stigmas, and love in the truest sense of the word.  A stunning performance from 14 year old brother of the directors, James Miyakawa, brought me to tears. His believable emotionality had me completely invested by the end, through natural and minimalistic mannerisms. I felt I was inside him during the ending frames. A refreshing class awareness and desire to bestow an egalitarian dignity to all comes through in this film, and is a welcome breath of fresh air in this current political climate. A comedic story, while also being full of drama, and feeling, this is an odd mix of storytelling with political undertones that are subtle.

The cinematography was beautiful, including many beach and border shots. But the ending was genius in my opinion. I “experienced” the ending, honestly. At first, I was completely miffed, left hanging, dissatisfied that the film did not end, per se. But then, as I kept thinking about the expression on James’ face at the end, to this day, just thinking of his face in that final scene, and how I could not forget it, nor quit trying to make sense of the ending, I came to realize so much. Later, after the film! I realized that the trigger for me in the ending was my own life’s experiences, when I met some new people that came from nowhere, then they were about to leave, and I felt I had to risk everything to go with them. Finding people you love enough to risk everything to stay together with them, is one of the most beautiful treasures life can give. This film does a moving job of instilling this idea, that love can mean more than jail, money, borders, and blood relatives as family. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it.

Another Italian movie at this film festival, “Nevia,” directed by Nunzia De Stefano, followed a similar coming of age story of a 17 year old girl in Naples, who in the end, must choose her own fate, alike James’ character, “Bruno,” in “Easy Living.” Although “Nevia” is much darker than “Easy Living,” the same search for freedom while on the cusp of adulthood rings true in both movies. The final shots of both of these movies are touching after the journeys the films take you on. But “Easy Living” stayed with me in a way no other movie at the SBIFF 2020 has, and for that, I am thrilled as an audience member. Thank you, Miyakawa family! Well done!