FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

There’s no way I can do justice to the movie by going over the plot, but I’ll try anyway. Here goes: Sachiko is a tiny eight year-old girl who has a problem. There’s a gigantic doppelganger following her around. Her uncle suffered a similar problem when a bloody ghost haunted his vision. Based on his story, she feels the only way to get rid of this psychologically damaging duplicate her is to do a back flip over the horizontal bar.

See. I told you. I can assure you that the movie is much more fun and interesting than that horrible description I gave alludes to. Sachiko isn’t the only oddball in the family/cast of characters. They all have their quirks. The father is a hypnotist, a different uncle is a manga artist turned pop-singer, and the grandfather is the most eccentric of them all. You have to see it to understand it. Even some of the supporting characters have their moments, such as the baseball player down the river and the dressed up cartoon lovers on the train.

All of their stories seem disjointed, but eventually are weaved together beautifully and seamlessly. Writer/director Katsuhito Ishii (director of the amazing animation sequence in “Kill Bill Vol. 1”) tells great, entertaining stories, with impeccable comic timing. There’s no high drama or even contentious obstacles to overcome. It’s just a fun tale of a unique family dynamic. He also effectively uses flashbacks to support the emotions and the narratives of the characters. Ishii’s also not afraid of drawing out sequences and let them play out completely before cutting to the next one. Many of the scenes are slow moving, but far from boring. Some of this can be attributed to sheer intrigue, but you can also credit the visuals.

Cinematographer Kosuke Matushima (assistant camera operator for “Dreams” and “Ran”) paints stunning landscapes both outdoors and in. The entire movie looks beautiful and when completed shows a fantastic contrast in style from the beginning to the end. The computer effects are obvious, but don’t detract from the overall feel. They are supposed to be there and are supposed to look like fantasies come to life. They aren’t trying to replace reality, and that’s the key to their effectiveness.

Maya Banno plays the little girl Sachiko amazingly well. I never expect much of anything from child actors, and I believe it’s unfair to judge them with the same criteria as their older, most likely more experienced counterparts. For someone so young, she really understands the concept of apathy and also depression along with quiet inner anguish. She’s not the only one; the entire cast acts perfectly. A quick glance is all that’s needed to get into their head and know what they’re feeling or going through.

I don’t know how anyone couldn’t get won over by this movie. The grandfather alone (played by Tatsuya Gashuin) could carry the film with his craziness (and arguably does just that). It’s just as charming as “Amelie” (which also used computer effects very well) and “Kikujiro” which also centers around a lovable young kid. Complete with hilarious musical numbers, an amusing animation sequence, and eye-catching scenery and characters, you don’t want to miss this film.

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