Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers! (Funuke domo, kanashimi no ai wo misero). Japan 2007. Directed by Daihachi Yoshida. With Eriko Sato, Aimi Satsukawa, Masatoshi Nagase, Hiromi Nagasaku. 113 mins. In Japanese with English subtitles.
This month Third Window continue to release Asian films that might otherwise get missed with two ‘offbeat’ Japanese comedies…
The first, Fine, Totally Fine, An amiable, well observed comedy surrounding perpetual slacker Teruo (Yosiyosi Arakawa, Tokyo, Memories Of Matsuko, Survive Style 5), his best friend Hisanobu (Yoshinori Okada, Dark Tales Of Japan, Kamikaze Girls), and the extremely clumsy Akari (Yoshino Kimura, Blindness, Sukiyaki Western Django).
Working as a park keeper and helping out in his father’s second-hand bookshop, Teruo dreams of creating the world’s scariest haunted house, often playing practical jokes on his friends. But when his father absconds to ‘find himself’, leaving Teruo to look after the shop and reluctantly begin to act his near 30 years of age.
His childhood friend Hisanbou, has become besotted with a cleaner he employed at the local hospital. Always a nice guy, he took pity on the unbelievably ham-fisted Akari, who can’t even open a box of tissues without resorting to stabbing them with a pair of scissors. She spends much of her spare time panting pictures she’s too afraid to show anyone else, and listening to cassette tapes of the rain. When that job doesn’t work out, Hisanbou finds her a job lending Teruo a hand in the bookstore, and Akari finally lands a job where her awkwardness doesn’t hold her back… completely!
Slowly Teruo also becomes smitten with Akari, but as the pair find themselves unlikely rivals for her affection, another unexpected suitor enters the ring.
Far from deliberate on the merits of growing up and acting your age, writer-director Yosuke Fujita’s debut feature is a celebration of the everyday eccentricities, dreams and diversions that make us who we are. Teruo’s straight-laced father returns from his trip with a trendy haircut and clothes, guitar and younger girlfriend in tow, only to up take his place back running the store.
Often absurd, if occasionally a little overly cartoonish, Yosuke let’s the uncomfortable situations breathe, using the slow pace to build on the embarrassment felt by all concerned (and the audience). It’s effectively done and impressive for a first feature.
It’s greatly helped by a strong cast, all palying up their characters peculiarities well, without them becoming unbelievable. Particularly Yosiyosi Arakawa, well cast as the goofy Teruo, he brings a level of pathos and even empathy for what could so easily have been an unsympathetic role.
Sure, it’s a comedy where not much happens – but it’s extremely well done.
From a far more dysfunctional family comes another debut feature from a writer-director, Daihachi Yoshida’s Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers!
After the tragic death of her parents in a road accident, unsuccessful actress Sumiko Wago (Eriko Sato, Cutie Honey, Carved) returns home from Tokyo to visit her teenage sister Kyomi (Aimi Satsukawa, Naoko, Arch Angels), her step brother Shinji (Masatoshi Nagase, Sakuran, Mystery Train) and new wife Machiko (Hiromi Nagasaku, Closed Diary, Hanging Garden) in their folks countryside home.
Before too long, sibling rivalries and ongoing quarrels rise to the service. Intent on bleeding the last family assets dry to fund her ailing career; Sumiko blames Kyomi for her lack of success in the big city, having been the subject of a competition-winning manga by Kyomi that made her the laughing stock of the town.
The reason Sumiko made such good material for Kyomi’s manga, however, is her pathological ambition to become an actress: including threatening her parents at knifepoint to get them to fund her, and even stabbing her step brother.
Relationships become further complicated when Shinji realises he has not gotten over his affection for Sumiko, having never consummated his marriage to Machiko. With Sumiko’s behaviour becoming no less psychotic, it seems only her obsession with writing to a director in the hope he’ll offer her a part in his new film has any calming effect on her.
However, with Sumiko back in town, it’s hard for Kyomi not to be compelled by her perfect source material to begin drawing again. That peace is soon coming to an end…
Based on a novel by Yukiko Motoya, Daihachi Yoshida’s darkly comic feature is brought to life by a strong cast, particularly Eriko – who can also be seen as the super cutesy Cutie Honey this month. Playing up to her previous sexy roles, Eriko is compelling as a disarmingly deranged menace, dropping her vacant charm to show just how much of a monster even the most beautiful can be. Deservingly Eriko won an award for her performance at the Yokohama Film Festival in 2008 (in fact the film is laden with awards from festivals over the world).
Her performance echoes that of Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and therein lies part of the problem with the tone of the film: the intimidation she puts her own sister through are on much the same level as what Davis’ character herself puts her sister Crawford through in Baby Jane. It’s more horror than comedy, and somehow some of the more absurdly comic elements just don’t mix with it.
Another element that doesn’t ring true – and this may be a fault of the source material – is the unbelievable naivety and cheeriness of Machiko, or perhaps it’s just that even in the films closing stages this character is still seen as a figure of fun and derision, so undeserving of compassion or happiness. Again, the cartoonish pitch of some elements fight with the very real, and all but deadly rivalry between the two sisters. (Perhaps I feel that way because she’s really the most sympathetic character in the film?)
That’s not to suggest Daihachi’s first film isn’t successful. It’s an intriguing, well-played look at one most seriously messed up family. Oddly the telling dénouement, that both sisters rely on each other for their careers (or at least will in the future), is underplayed.
Fine, Totally Fine and Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers! are released by Third Window Films on 11 May. Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers! is also currently playing at London’s ICA cinema until Sunday 10th May, with additional screenings on weekend of 16th and 17th May.
DVD details
Distributor: Third Window Films (UK)
Both dvds have a good transfer of the original films, but as with previous Third Window releases have little in the way of bonus features. Indeed, other than trailers only Fine, Totally Fine includes any real extra content, two low key but informative interviews with it's male leads.
(Fine, Totally Fine)
(Funuke: Show Some Love, You Losers!)
