This absurd comedy is rightfully considered Japanese filmmaker Katsuhito Ishii’s answer to Wes Anderson’sStarring Asano alongside a host of captivating character actors as members of the eccentric Haruno family,finally received a UK Blu-ray release courtesy of Third Window Films this October – and it’s worth the wait.
As six-year-old daydreamer Sachiko strives to escape her giant imaginary doppelganger, senile grandpa Akira breaks into song and dance at the drop of a hat. But despite their quirky personalities, Asano’s lazy music producer uncle Ayano easily gives them a run for their money for most memorable character in this vibrant countryside fantasy-drama.
Introduced by way of an extended vignette, in which he details the story of the first time he ever took a shit in the woods, Ayano soon finds himself involved in a number of eventful encounters across the film’s meandering narrative. Be it an awkward rendezvous with an old flame in front of a convenience store, or a bizarre recording session with a pretentious animator, Asano’s languid performance elevates Ayano into an offbeat slacker who is funny right to the end.
Shot in documentary style by legendary cinematographer Christopher Doyle , and featuring a wild soundtrack that comprises surf, blues and krautrock,almost feels like a 70-minute music video. It’s stock full of gratuitous long-takes and dizzying foot-chases, but for all its creative ambition, it is Asano who is the film’s magnetic heart that keeps everything beating.
Whether he’s manically playing the drums in a midnight street party or sloshed out in the basement of a seedy underground bar – this chain-smoking, pistol-wielding tearaway is Asano distilled to the core.is a latter-day reminder of why Asano’s unique, effortless cool continues to transcend borders and boundaries to this day.