Joe Odagiri was until now only an actor, and a very popular actor in Japan to boot. This is the first film in which he directs as well as acts. And to say that the humour in the film is absurd is also not enough. The absurd humour here is taken beyond the point which can be described in the usual terms. Let's say: too absurd for words.
Protagonist Tsuyoshi visits his grandfather in hospital. The old man turns out to receive mysterious cards every day with cherry blossoms on them. The sender is not known.
The film is largely a road movie; crazy men in a taxi looking for the cherry blossoms that can be seen on grandfather's mysterious postcards. The quest is soon a name in itself. The other aim seems to be the reinvention of humour, which does not want to be funny and that of course ensures it is.
Looking for Cherry Blossoms is a small, inventively made film. An old taxi and some absurd jokes are apparently all you need to rediscover the wheel. Even though this wheel looks like no other wheel. The film was produced by StyleJam, a strikingly creative production house that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. They make films that transcend the traditional Japanese genre labels. Like this. (GjZ)
- Director
- Joe Odagiri
- Premiere
- World premiere
- Country of production
- Japan
- Year
- 2009
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2009
- Length
- 64'
- Medium
- Betacam Digi PAL
- Original title
- Sakura na hito tachi
- Language
- Japanese
- Producer
- Kai Naoki
- Production Company
- StyleJam Inc.
- Sales
- StyleJam Inc.
- Screenplay
- Joe Odagiri
- Cinematography
- Tsukinaga Yuta
- Editor
- Joe Odagiri
- Production Design
- Joe Odagiri
- Sound Design
- Joe Odagiri
- Music
- Joe Odagiri
- Cast
- Sabu Kawahara, Hiroshi Yamada
- Website
- http://www.stylejam.co.jp