Teenagers have secrets and, in Japanese films, the biggest is often a crush on a fellow student. That is the plot driver in Shun Nakagawa’s aptly titled “I Have a S/e/c/r/e/t,” but this sweet-spirited ensemble drama, based on a novel by Yoru Sumino, also reveals deeper truths about the inner lives of its five main characters, expressed with touches of delightfully whimsical fantasy.
Though the film’s central storyline is relatable to anyone who has suffered the agonies of adolescent romance, its main quintet are all unique individuals with hidden facets, not stock characters.
The first that we meet is Kyo (Daiken Okudaira), a considerate kid who is attracted to the popular, effervescent Naoko Miki (Natsuki Deguchi) aka “Mickey,” but tells himself he is fine just being her classmate. He has, however, a power that sets him apart: He can see what others are thinking, in the form of digitally generated question marks that appear above their heads when they are puzzled, exclamation points when they are excited and so on.
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