Topless

If you’ve already made assumptions about what this movie is based on the title, you’re probably wrong. Topless is a gentle, character-driven slice of life film. I’m pretty sure there’s not even any nudity in it.

The lead character in Topless is the lesbian Natsuko. Natsuko finds herself at a loss after her girlfriend of ten years, Tomomi breaks up with her. Initially, Natsuko works to move on. Until she learns Tomomi is engaged to a man. So, Natsuko enlists the help of her male roommate, Koji to pretend to be her boyfriend. But this gets complicated as Koji already has romantic feelings for Natsuko. As an additional subplot, a teenager named Kana comes into Natsuko’s life while she is searching for her mother. Kana’s mother left her to run away with her female lover.

Natsuko and Koji are the main relationship the film focuses on. And this goes beyond Koji’s crush on her. Natsuko eventually experiments with Koji. This is almost certainly the best depiction of a straight guy “getting” a lesbian I’ve seen. These events still feel like they genuinely came from a queer woman’s point of view. This isn’t a romantic fantasy. In contrast, the sex they have is sort of awkward. And all the experience does for Natsuko is reaffirm her sexuality. This is a depiction of a straight man sleeping with a lesbian I actually want the men who fetishize that concept to see. Because it’s a very realistic depiction of what will probably happen. And maybe they’ll learn something from it. Koji is an absolute champ at dealing with Natsuko’s lack of interest. Following their sexual experiment, they stay friends! It’s briefly awkward but perhaps ultimately strengthens their relationship.

Topless apparently doesn’t have a lot of queer people working behind the lens. From what I can tell, the only actual sapphic person involved with the story is Pudding Wantanabe. Wantanabe wrote the story that Topless is based on. But screenwriter/director Eiji Uchida took pains to respect and defer to Wantanbe’s lived experiences as a lesbian. The depiction of a queer woman feels genuine and relatable. It comes for a very real place. And even in an adaption of a story of those real events, it still feels genuine. As a director, Uchida respected the story he worked with and respected the limits of his own experience.

Topless is not a flashy film. I didn’t even mean to make that weak pun. Anyway, this is a very character-driven film. There’s not a lot of visual flair or epic narratives. Instead, it’s a story about the complexity of human connection. And it works because it feels real. It’s messy, imperfect and unpredictable. It’s also kind. That to me, is the theme of Topless. Human connection is terribly messy. And other people can hurt you. But there is also kindness and understanding. And offering those to people, even in simple ways, can be transformative.

Topless is a good little slice of life type movie. What the film lacks in visuals and especially lighting, it makes up for in great character work. The film is a good example of allyship too. Pudding Wantanabe wrote a story about being a lesbian. Eiji Uchida and the rest of the crew brought that story to life and probably gave it a wider audience without ever silencing Wantanabe’s voice. And the film is stronger for it.

Overall rating: 6.4/10

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