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Tabi no Owari Sekai no Hajimari
To the Ends of the Earth
Japan / Uzbekistan / Qatar 2019
produced by Jason Gray, Eiko Mizuno Gray, Toshikazu Nishigaya for Uzbekkino, King Records, Loaded Films, Tokyo Theatres
directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
starring Atsuko Maeda, Tokio Emoto, Adiz Rajabov, Ryo Kase, Shota Sometani
written by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, music by Yusuke Hayashi
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Yoko (Atsuko Maeda) is a TV reporter who's presently part of a team
doing a travelogue on Uzbekistan. The enterprise is under no good star
from the get-go though, as when they try to catch a rare giant fish, the
fish won't bite, when they free goat, they later learn it's more
likely to be eaten by wild dogs in wilderness, a fairground attraction
makes Yoko puke, and when she is to film a bazar on her own, it ends in
utter chaos. And while Yoko comes across great on camera, she really isn't
much of a tourist at heart, she seems to be under-prepared for the
journey, a certain shyness prevents her from engaging with the locals,
she's terribly afraid of the local police (even if they treat her
respectful), and really just longing for her firefighter boyfriend back
home - so when she learns about a big fire in (the boyfriend's district)
Tokyo Bay that cost many firefighters their lives, her world seems to
shatter ... Now I will say, To the Ends of the Earth is
a bit long, it takes some patience to sit through, and some points seem to
be made over and over again. But that said, if you have that sort of
patience, you're also rewarded, as this film's subtle humour is nothing
short of charming, and Atsuko Maeda gives a great performance that keeps
her character relatable even in the most awkward of moments, and she truly
is the heart of the film. And the film also makes the most of its Uzbek
settings, which look impressive without being reduced to picture postcard
beauty, while Kiyoshi Kurosawa's direction gives everything enough room to
breathe, never suffocating things in spectacle, and yet driving the story
along, if at a laid back pace. Sure, it could have been shorter, but it's
a beautiful film still.
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review © by Mike Haberfelner
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Robots and rats,
demons and potholes, cuddly toys and shopping mall Santas,
love and death and everything in between,
Tales to Chill Your Bones to is all of that.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to -
a collection of short stories and mini-plays ranging from the horrific to the darkly humourous,
from the post-apocalyptic to the weirdly romantic,
tales that will give you a chill and maybe a chuckle,
all thought up by the twisted mind of screenwriter and film reviewer Michael Haberfelner.
Tales to Chill Your Bones to
the new anthology by Michael Haberfelner
Out now from Amazon!!! |
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