Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
Cutie and the Boxer is a quietly remarkable documentary portrait of a long, complicated marriage between two artists. Its novelty is high — the film finds a genuinely singular lens through Noriko's illustrated alter-ego 'Cutie,' weaving animation and documentary footage to externalize her emotional journey in a way that feels fresh and inventive. The cinematography is competent and intimate but not visually spectacular. The plot (such as it is in a documentary) is engaging and emotionally layered, though not revelatory. The 'acting' — the naturalistic self-presentation of Ushio and Noriko — is compelling and authentic. The ending is tender and bittersweet but stops just short of a fully resonant conclusion.