It's been a long hiatus, but finally decided to write something here again. And what better way for the first post to be about the "Favorite Film Series" here on Refine Films blog.
This week's film is a film that is indeed one of my favorites. Unfortunately, it is also a film that is quite difficult to find, which is rather surprising considering how well-received it was. I know I said I'd only put up films with decent distribution and accessibility, but that went out the window when [Wk:5] was City of Sadness. So, what the hey, I'll put this one up; maybe someday down the road, it will cross your path and you'll remember this.
A Stranger of Mine (2005) Dir. Kenji Uchida
Why this film: There are comedy films aplenty, but good comedy films? Now that is difficult. Comedy films are hard to do, any experienced filmmaker or cinephile knows this. When a good comedy film comes along, it deserves a closer look and deeper appreciation, which is why I've chosen this film. This film cuts against the grain because it isn't slapstick, but rather a "structural" comedy. In other words, it's humor is found in the film's structure and that should be evident for anyone who has a chance to watch this film. It was certainly evident enough to do quite well at Cannes a couple years ago, for whatever that is worth.
This week's film is a film that is indeed one of my favorites. Unfortunately, it is also a film that is quite difficult to find, which is rather surprising considering how well-received it was. I know I said I'd only put up films with decent distribution and accessibility, but that went out the window when [Wk:5] was City of Sadness. So, what the hey, I'll put this one up; maybe someday down the road, it will cross your path and you'll remember this.
A Stranger of Mine (2005) Dir. Kenji Uchida
When I first saw this film at the San Diego Asian Film Festival a couple of years ago, like many commentators and reviewers, I was led to believe this was a romance film, about a nerdy, down-on-his-luck Takeshi (Yasuhi Nakamura) who falls in love with Maki (Reiki Kirishima), aided by Takeshi's best friend Yusuke (So Yamanaka). Well, let's just say, along with everybody else who watches the film for the first time, I was quite wrong. I won't delve into what the film is really about, because I'm hoping someday you'll get a chance to watch this.
What I can say is that I think this film, in a sea of today's slapstick, low-brow comedy, really stands out as brilliant, if only because Dir. Uchida stuck to his guns on this one. I don't know enough about Japanese culture to know what is considered funny, and comedy films often have difficulty translating overseas, but it certainly worked really well for an international audience. Be on the lookout for this film and I hope everyone gets a chance to watch it down the road.
Languages: Japanese
Availability (included additional sources)
Netflix: N/A
Amazon: N/A
UCSD: Available (Limited)
SDSU: N/A
SD Public Library: N/A
Play-Asia.com: Available (here)
What I can say is that I think this film, in a sea of today's slapstick, low-brow comedy, really stands out as brilliant, if only because Dir. Uchida stuck to his guns on this one. I don't know enough about Japanese culture to know what is considered funny, and comedy films often have difficulty translating overseas, but it certainly worked really well for an international audience. Be on the lookout for this film and I hope everyone gets a chance to watch it down the road.
Languages: Japanese
Availability (included additional sources)
Netflix: N/A
Amazon: N/A
UCSD: Available (Limited)
SDSU: N/A
SD Public Library: N/A
Play-Asia.com: Available (here)
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