Love makes people bold. The same goes for Ai, who has a crush on Tatoe, a boy in her class. She manages to get his attention for a brief conversation, but it is a long way from winning his heart. Tatoe has a girlfriend, Miyuki, whom he has been dating for a long time. When Ai reads a letter between the two of them, the love triangle is sent in a direction no one expected. Her desire for Tatoe and curiosity about Miyuki make Ai bolder.
Director Shuto Rin’s second feature film Unlock Your Heart avoids stereotypes of teenage romance. Although it relies on the love triangle trope, it rejects heteronormative narratives and actively portrays sexuality while dealing with teenage love. But this stimulation does not remain peripheral, and instead the film suggests that teenage love, including sex, can break the shell around one’s ego. Shuto incorporates other dangers of adolescence amid images such as bicycles racing in the dark and paper cranes scattering like cherry blossoms. The film is based on the novel I Want to Kick You in the Back by Wataya Risa, the youngest Akutagawa Prize winner at the time. [NAM Sunwoo]