Japan-uary XIV Quick Picks and Pans

 

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) Writer/director Kôki Mitani’s nutty comedy (based on a play by Mitani and Tokyo Sunshine Boys) takes place over one night in a Japanese radio station where everything can and does go wrong. After winning a contest to have her radio play performed, a young housewife’s elation gives way to regret. Small edits devolve to big changes (including changing the main character at the behest of an-over-the-hill diva), until her original script is unrecognizable. The eccentric characters are brought to life, thanks to the excellent cast’s delightfully manic performances. Watch it if you can find it. 

Rating: ****. Available on DVD (Out of Print) 

The Snow Woman (1968) Based on the same tale (“The Yuki Onna,” by Lafcaido Hearn) that served as the source material for the “Yuki-Onna” segment in Kwaidan (1964), The Snow Woman expands upon the story and provides some genuine chills (pun intended). While two woodcutters take shelter from a brutal snowstorm, something lurks in the darkness. A beautiful supernatural snow woman kills the elder woodcutter, but spares his apprentice, with the warning that she’ll kill the younger man if he ever tells anyone about what occurred. The apprentice reluctantly becomes the master when he’s commissioned to carve a statue of Buddha for his village, but he faces adversity from an arrogant rival. His new wife is loving and supportive, but there’s something off about her. Creepy in parts and surprisingly touching, The Snow Woman is not to be missed. 

Rating: ****. Available on Blu-ray (part of the Daiei Gothic box set)

We Are Little Zombies (2019) Four kids in their early teens meet by chance at their parents’ respective cremations. The freshly minted orphans form a friendship, based on their shared lack of emotion for their recent tragedies, and disdain for society’s expectations. They become surprise celebrities when their impromptu band becomes a hit. Told through the youths’ perspective (and a handheld video game), writer/director Makoto Nagahisa’s unique tragi-comedy explores performative parenthood, processing childhood grief, and the ephemeral nature of fame. 

Rating: ****. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Kanopy 

Caterpillar (2010) Set in 1940, a Japanese soldier (Shima Ônishi) arrives home to a hero’s welcome, but he’s horribly disfigured. With a scarred face, inability to speak, and missing all four limbs, the burden falls upon his wife (Shinobu Terajima) to tend to his every need. Despite his status as a “War God,” however, he’s reduced to a miserable empty shell. While his suffering wife immerses herself in his care, she loses more and more of her identity. Kôji Wakamatsu’s film (based on a Rampo Edogawa tale) is well-made and well-acted, but if you’re not depressed before you see, you’ll likely be afterwards. You might want to watch this with a My Neighbor Totoro chaser, just to clear the palate.   

Rating: ****s. Available on DVD (Region 2) 

Before We Vanish (2017) Director/co-writer Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s meditation (based on a play by Tomohiro Maekawa) on what it is to be human is told through the warped lens of three extraterrestrial visitors, inhabiting the bodies of earthlings. Their mission is to collect concepts (such as “family,” “property,” etc…) to better understand the human species before they launch a full-scale invasion. One of the aliens, assuming the body of an estranged husband (Ryûhei Matsuda), enlists the aid of his wife (Masami Nagasawa) as a “guide” to help navigate the complexities of interactions and relationships. Thoughtful and decidedly low-key, Before We Vanish celebrates what it means to be human. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray (Region B), DVD and Tubi

Mind Game (2004) After his life is snuffed out by a trigger-happy Yakuza enforcer, 20-year-old slacker Nishi (voiced by Kôji Imada) is given the opportunity to relive the fateful event, albeit with a different outcome. The next time around, he endeavors to establish a meaningful relationship with his childhood sweetheart, Myon (Sayaka Maeda). Filled with unique visuals (thanks in part to the use of mixed media), Masaaki Yuasa and Kôji Morimoto seem to be playing by their own rules, with an anime film that’s a treat for the eyes and the intellect. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD   

The Great Yokai War: Guardians (2021) Takashi Miike’s belated follow-up to his enjoyable The Great Yokai War (2005) is a big disappointment – a stale rehash without the heart. It shows promise in the early scenes, as we’re introduced to young brothers Kei and Dai (Kokoro Terada and Rei Inomata), who share some nice scenes with various yokai. Unfortunately, it runs out of steam long before it hits the midpoint, due to mediocre CGI effects (including a lackluster CGI villain). If you need your yokai fix, you’re much better served by Miike’s original film or the Daiei yokai trilogy that inspired it. 

Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD