Adrift in Tokyo (2007) [Film Review]

Adrift in Tokyo; or, Toddling Along

     Happiness creeps into you so quietly that you don’t notice… but misfortune arrives abruptly.

I vividly remember the first time when I saw Adrift in Tokyo (or Tenten, to be exact). The movie made my smile and filled my disheartened mind with the much-needed dose of optimism. Now is the time for me to revisit this great film after a whole year and share my thoughts on the slow-paced walks through Tokyo.
Release Info

Directed by: Satoshi Miki Starring: Tomokazu Miura, Joe Odagiri, Kyoko Koizumi

Language: Japanese Original Title: 転々 Runtime: 100 min

 

Synopsis

Takemura (Joe Odagiri) is a college student who, in some unknown way, accumulated 840,000 yen in debt. One day, he is visited by a debt collector, Fukuhara (Tomokazu Miura) who threatens him and sets the deadline for Takemura to return the money in three days. The day before the deadline, Fukuhara presents Takemura with the following deal: accompany him during his Tokyo walks anywhere and for as long as he wants, and in return, Takemura will get 1 million yen. Takemura reluctantly agrees and goes with strange Fukuhara.

 

“Was there something good these few days?”

First of all, I should point out that Adrift in Tokyo is not an experimental movie, although it certainly has this indie aura around itself. It starts off in a wacky way, similar to Survive Style 5+ (2004), when Fukuhara attacks Takemura. However, the quirky nature of their walks through Tokyo gradually comes into the spotlight. I wouldn’t call this movie a straightforward comedy. Rather, it is a funny slice-of-life picture about strange guys having strange adventures within the urban cityscape.

 

Yasujiro Ozu would have probably turned the premise of Adrift in Tokyo into something akin to The Before Trilogy, but the director Satoshi Miki engages the viewers into the story by creating colourful characters who gradually open up to each other and share their past experiences. This is not Crime and Punishment, but a simple tale of a guy reminiscing about his wife and a student who never had a father.

 

Because 90% of action is happening outside, the cinematography is just beautiful. I love how the camera pans through the backstreets and alleys of Tokyo as Fukuhara and Takemura are waking together. The camera is not fixed in front of them (the Before Trilogy flashbacks), but travels next to the characters, as if inviting the viewers to tag along.

 

However, the movie is not completely consumed by Fukuhara and Takemura, because the supporting characters are even quirkier than them. For example, they meet a cosplayer, angry mat dealer, aspiring painter, and a fake wife, to enumerate just a few. In addition, there is a little side story about three co-workers who are searching for Fukuhara’s wife. Oh! Ittoku Kishibe also shows up… as Ittoku Kishibe, the famous actor whose sighting will bring good luck :)

 

With regard to performances, Adrift in Tokyo was my first introduction to both Joe Odagiri and Tomokazu Miura and now I can’t think about them separately. Miura is brilliant in crime/police dramas, whereas the unconventional Odagiri does a great deal of various genres in cinema and on television. The two actors have a perfect chemistry together and they really sell the friendship that forms between Fukuhara and Takemura, even to a point that I got teary-eyed towards the end. Kyoko Koizumi and Yuriko Yoshitaka also deserve praise as Fukuhara’s eccentric “relatives”. Additionally, Eri Fuse, Ryo Iwamatsu, and Yutaka Matsushige(!) appear as the three co-workers. Apart from Ittoku Kishibe popping up here and there, Akiko Kazami also has a great cameo appearance in the concluding scene. I just love this cast!

 

Recommendations

All things considered, Adrift in Tokyo is a heart-warming story about discovering happiness and finding our close ones even in complete strangers. The movie had me laughing out loud a couple of times, but it also moved me incredibly. Highly recommended to anyone who likes slow and peculiar stories with a big city in the background. I think that, every once in a while, each of us should go on a “strait” across Tokyo. We should find happiness even in the smallest things.

Overall score: 9/10