Ambiguous Places

  • 93'
  • Japan
  • 2017

Tiger Award winner Ikeda Akira (Anatomy of a Paper Clip) returns with his third feature, which amuses and bewilders in equal measure. Konoko, a young woman, wakes up on the beach and finds an insect stuck to her head. As she walks around searching for a barber to help her get rid of it, she faces unexpected obstacles in what at first appears to be an ordinary, quiet village. Comprised of a series of dream-like episodes, this unabashedly offbeat comedy balances otherworldly strangeness with decidedly Japanese scenes.

The skilled cast commit themselves to the unusually deadpan humour, bringing extended pauses and empty stares to each line, often delivered with near-robotic repetition. Amid the surrealist absurdity of individual moments – a doctor is forced into marriage for failing to save a human-sized insect from illness – the social and familial pressures that pervade Japanese society surface in surprisingly poignant ways.

 

 

Director
Ikeda Akira
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
Japan
Year
2017
Festival Edition
IFFR 2018
Length
93'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Uron na tokoro
Language
Japanese
Producer
Usui Chizuru
Production Company
Happy Tent
Sales
Happy Tent
Screenplay
Ikeda Akira
Cinematography
Osada Mizuki
Editor
Ikeda Akira
Production Design
Yokoe Tomoko
Cast
Sumii Kujirako, Shiba Hirofumi, Ohta Michi, Ono Syu, Miyamoto Natsu, Kimura Tomoki, Miwa Reika
Director
Ikeda Akira
Premiere
International premiere
Country of production
Japan
Year
2017
Festival Edition
IFFR 2018
Length
93'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Uron na tokoro
Language
Japanese
Producer
Usui Chizuru
Production Company
Happy Tent
Sales
Happy Tent
Screenplay
Ikeda Akira
Cinematography
Osada Mizuki
Editor
Ikeda Akira
Production Design
Yokoe Tomoko
Cast
Sumii Kujirako, Shiba Hirofumi, Ohta Michi, Ono Syu, Miyamoto Natsu, Kimura Tomoki, Miwa Reika

Programme IFFR 2018

Bright Future

A selection of discoveries for the future. Emerging talent with original subject matter and an individual style. Includes the Bright Future Competition for first feature films.

Read more about this programme