Yosuke Fujita’s movie is a comic amalgamation of deadpan slacker comedy and off-kilter rom-com, and a promising debut for the writer/director.
Teruo and Hisanobu are childhood friends with different goals and different ideas. Teruo, an unfocused, horror-obsessed prankster, harbours dreams of opening a revolutionary haunted house, while Hisanobu merely wants to grow up. When their paths one day cross with Akari, a pretty, accident prone artist, both Teruo and Hisanobu fall head over heels, which puts their already shaky friendship to the test.
Reminiscent of quirky American indies (often bringing to mind the work of Jim Jarmusch, Jared Hess and other such purveyors of kookiness), Fine, Totally Fine generates its laughs and poignancy from its smaller moments, relying on the minor oddball antics of its eccentric and eclectic bunch of characters to provide the main source of its deadpan lunacy.
While the characters aren’t interesting enough to warrant the unnecessarily long running time, there’s a warmth and a charm to the proceedings and enough comedic brilliance to make the unconventional journey worth taking.
The DVD includes a selection of trailers and interviews with the two main actors. Clocking in at about 10 minutes each, the brief chats with Arakawa and Okada both cover similar ground, with the stars discussing how they got involved in the project and offering their thoughts on their respective characters etc. Not an entirely fascinating special features package, but fleetingly entertaining.
Overall Verdict:
A warm and funny foray into the world of kooky comedy.
Special Features:
Trailers
Interview With Yosiyosi Arakawa
Interview With Yoshinori Okada
Reviwer: Lee Griffiths