Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2008

ADRIFT IN TOKYO

Touching, funny, outrageous yet grounded in humanity, Adrift in Tokyo is the ultimate road movie in which the two protagonists just…stroll their way across the landscape of the metropolis of Tokyo. It begins with a shambolic and wild-haired loser named Takemura, who suddenly finds himself at the mercy of an uninvited houseguest, the tough debt collector Fukuhara. With Takemura unable to pay back the money, Fukuhara decides to give him an ultimatum: take a walk through Tokyo with him, and he will receive more than enough cash to pay back the debt. Mistrustful and skeptical, Takemura has no choice but follow this absurd plan.

From this basic premise comes richness in characterization and a natural drollness that is intensely sublime. Much of the credit goes to the easy chemistry between the two leads. Japanese heartthrob Joe Odagiri [Azumi (Reel Asian Closing Night, 2003), Blood and Bones) portrays Takemura as an unwitting hero—a man down on his luck with little self-confidence and no goals in life. Conversely, Fukuhara, sensationally played by Tomokazu Miura (Always: Sunset on Third Street, The Taste of Tea), is seen as a good-hearted thug in an unfortunate predicament. Their continuous bantering evolves into a real relationship, giving way to unexpected depth in their personalities. All the while, director Miki keeps the pace lively with unexpected side gags, witty repartees and the reality of crazy Tokyo. Filled with everyone from girls who dress up in costumes and punked-out electric rockers to a bogus makeshift family, the city offers all a chance to be themselves.

It is the ever-changing Tokyo itself that acts as the third character here. From the bustle and neon-glitter of places like Shinjuku to quiet leafy neighbourhoods of the suburbs, it is a film that lets us explore the city while the characters basically act as commentators. Even when the focus is shifted to the misadventures of the co-workers of Fukuhara’s wife, this only serves to show us a different side of life in Tokyo. In the end, the sterling humour and the genuine warmth is singularly the creation of Satoshi Miki, whose screenplay and direction make it possible for such a basic concept to become something richer than most films you’ll see this year.

-Heather Keung

Satoshi Miki was born on August 9, 1961, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He started out as a writer for hit TV variety shows before directing stage plays, then further expanding into TV dramas and films. His first films In the Pool (2005) and Turtles and Surprisingly Fast (2005) were consecutively released theatrically in the same year. Miki has earned a growing following for his comedies, as he becomes known for his urbane sense of humour in which seemingly unnecessary episodes and dialogues are developed and interwoven into an indispensable part of the story. Adrift in Tokyo (2007) is his fifth feature film.


Canadian distributor: Evokative Films


Please note: allow extra time to arrive at venues due to Santa Claus Parade related to road closures.