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Starting Over

Name: Starting Over
Director: Takashi Nishihara
Released: 2014
Duration: 94 min

Representation Score

4.7/10

Fair

2014

Director

Takashi Nishihara

Runtime

94 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Starting Over is a character-driven drama that finds its strength in its subversion of romantic clichés. By centering the protagonist's love for another woman, the film moves away from conventional storytelling to explore identity-driven emotional struggles. The film excels at portraying the internal lives and ability to act of female protagonists. It offers a nuanced, secular exploration of morality and human connection. However, the film remains highly localized. The lack of racial diversity beyond the Tokyo setting and the absence of disability representation limit its broader impact.

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Category Breakdown

Does Starting Over have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film centers on a same-sex emotional bond between Nana and Marin. By making this connection the core of the plot, the story challenges traditional assumptions about relationships.

How does Starting Over portray gender?

Fair

The narrative prioritizes the internal emotional lives of women and their vulnerability. It focuses on the search for meaning amidst systemic hardships.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Starting Over?

Limited

The setting is localized to Tokyo, reflecting the demographic reality of the location. There is no evidence of diverse casting beyond traditional local patterns.

How does Starting Over represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story explores morality through a secular, existentialist lens. It critiques social structures by depicting a world that fails to provide the love the protagonist seeks.

Does Starting Over include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative contains no mention of visible or invisible disabilities. There is no evidence of neurodivergence or chronic illness portrayed in the story.

Present on Screen

Centers a meaningful same-sex emotional connection as a primary plot driver.
Prioritizes the internal lives and ability to act of female protagonists.
Offers a nuanced, secular exploration of morality and human connection.

Limited or Absent

Lacks representation of racial or ethnic diversity beyond the local setting.
Provides no visible or invisible disability representation.
Does not explicitly detail the subversion of broader gender hierarchies.

Official Synopsis

Nana is 19 and lives in a corner of Tokyo. Her birth mother and Marin, a girl the same age who she loves, were the only people she could trust. Nana confronts them in her yearning for love, but the world does not give it to her. With her whole life ahead of her, Nana struggles, suffers, and begins a search for the true meaning of love.

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