A SNAPSHOT REVIEW
Kumiko is a 29-year-old Japanese woman who believes life has passed her by. She’s unhappy with her job, unhappy with her family and unhappy with her friends. In fact, her boss views her as little more than his personal gopher, brewing his tea and dropping off his suits at the cleaners. Her mother is displeased that Kumiko is still single. And although she has several friends that care, Kumiko just won’t let anyone get close enough to really matter.
It seems that the only thing this twentysomething is close to is her pet rabbit. And the only thing that gives Kumiko any sense of purpose in life—if you want to call it that—is believing that the movie, Fargo, is a documentary. So, after watching a character in that film bury a briefcase of money, Kumiko repeatedly studies the scene for all the details she’ll need for an eventual trip to the United States and a search for this buried treasure.
On a positive side of the ledger, this film’s only up-front content issues show up in the form of a few language missteps (mostly in the form of subtitles as Kumiko watches Fargo). And one could argue that this film is a cautionary tale about Kumiko’s lying, stealing and obsessive behaviors. But some viewers could conclude the opposite, depending on how they interpret the ending. Wrestling with that interpretation and maybe discussing a faulty theological bent would ultimately be a plus.