70
Deceptively delicate and quietly tough.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
90
It achieves that magic combination of nuance, depth, and having a big heart that makes it both a crowd-pleaser and a favorite of critics.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Barry Hertz
Hikari’s work is well-meaning, and Kayama delivers an affecting, but not affected, performance that almost holds the story together. Eventually, though, the film loses confidence in itself.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Deborah Young
Sentimentality and pathos are banned from Hikari’s screenplay, which surprises with its fresh, often humorous realism. This is one of those films that starts slowly and predictably, but when the turning point comes, it lifts the pic into another dimension.
60
Los Angeles Times by Kimber Myers
This isn’t the anodyne, awards-baiting film about disability that viewers might be used to; instead, Hikari’s feature debut is sensitive and empathetic, showing a young woman who is more than just her cerebral palsy. Yuma is a wildly creative, sexual person who deserves more than her society often gives her.
75
37 Seconds is a remarkably frank and surprisingly warm depiction of disability, care-giving and sexuality.