In a new clip for Netflix’s Ride or Die movie, ahead of its release later this week, we see our two main characters enjoying a small moment of respite on the run from consequence.
Ride or Die, the latest Netflix Japanese live-action movie project, hits the streaming service worldwide later this week. With a story of two women on the run from police while slowly falling in love, this promised manga adaptation of a tale on domestic abuse, sexuality, and justice is one of this writer’s most anticipated films of the next few months.
To help tide anyone over who is similarly excited for the film’s release, Netflix have released a clip capturing the pair’s chemistry in a moment of calm.
The clip starts with Rei (Kiko Mizuhara) and Nanae (Honami Sato) entering a restaurant for a brief break on their journey, where they order food and beer and try to relax amidst the craziness of recent days. It’s a touching scene, where we see the characters laugh and joke in freedom from their circumstances, caring for one another’s feelings even in how they offer to try each other’s food or laugh as they cough. It could be a scene of a couple on a date in any other circumstance, but the clip ends with what appears to be a jolt back to reality with a glance at a nearby newspaper.
One thing that has been emphasized in all promotional material for the film is the level of intimacy shared between the two characters in what is an admittedly unusual production for the Japanese film industry. Such an explicit film, never mind a major production centering on a same-sex relationship, is unfortunately rare. In another rarity for Japanese productions, an interview with the Japan Times noted that an intimacy co-ordinator was brought on, in a first for a Japanese film, to help with sex scenes. It’s the sort of production that international streaming money allows for, telling a story that wouldn’t be released otherwise, and that should be welcomed.
If this clip interested you in the film, check out a full trailer, or watch Ride or Die when it hits Netflix on 15 April.