Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! (2007) [Film Review]

Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!; or, National Lampoon’s Countryside
     Greetings, I would like to introduce myself first. I'm Wago Sumika, age 22. I'm an actress. But the truth is, I haven't done anything remarkable as of yet thanks to the lack of competence by the agency I was with. I want to become an actress that makes people say "there is no replacement for Wago Sumika" as soon as possible. I am prepared to endure through any hardship to make that happen.
When thinking about family dramas made in Japan, people frequently enumerate such skilled filmmakers as Yasujiro Ozu, Hirokazu Koreeda, Miwa Nishikawa, or even Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Personally, I believe that director Daihachi Yoshida also deserves an honorable mention mainly because of his awesome debut feature from 2007 called Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! based on the novel by Yukiko Motoya.

Release Info

Directed by: Daihachi Yoshida Starring: Eriko Sato, Masatoshi Nagase, Aimi Satsukawa, Hiromi Nagasaku

Language: Japanese Original Title: 腑抜けども、悲しみの愛を見せろ Runtime: 112 min

Synopsis
An elderly couple living in the countryside, Mr and Mrs Wago, tragically die in a road accident while trying to save a cat. The funeral ceremony leads to the reunification of three siblings: Shinji (Masatoshi Nagase) who now takes care of family business, 18-year-old Kiyomi (Aimi Satsukawa) who aspires to become a mangaka, and Sumika (Eriko Sato) who is determined to make it big as an actress in Tokyo. However, Sumika’s dream and her quest to its fulfillment unfortunately influences the family in a negative way. She bullies Shinji into supporting her financially and tortures Kiyomi for what she did to her in the past. Having been recently fired from her talent agency, Sumika does not let go and writes a letter to an acclaimed movie director Tetsuo Komori (Nobumichi Tosa). Surprisingly, she receives a reply...

All in the Family
While sitting down to watch Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! I had no idea what to expect because I knew nothing about director Daihachi Yoshida and the main cast. The movie begins in quite a grim way only to kick into comedy gear a few minutes later. The central figure of the storyline is Sumika as we see her wreaking havoc across her home town just so she could prove that she is a true actress.

The movie certainly takes advantage of Yasujiro Ozu’s and Mikio Naruse’s filmmaking styles in certain scenes but it is not a straightforward parody of Tokyo Story (1953) or When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960). Funuke tries to be its own thing with the usage of slapstick, innovative flashbacks, and situational comedy. As a result, it becomes not only an entertaining spectacle but also an engrossing drama in which you can’t help but care for the characters. In consequence, the film feels like a baby conceived by SABU and Quentin Tarantino.

With regard to performances, Eriko Sato is undeniably too cool for school as unstoppable Sumika. From the arrival scene to the “climactic” battle in the fields, she gives her best in the leading role. My praise also goes to Aimi Satsukawa and Masatoshi Nagase who played the siblings. Another mention goes to Hiromi Nagasaku for her hilarious appearance as Shinji’s wife, Machiko. It comes as no surprise that Nagasaku won Best Supporting Actress award twice for her performance of extremely agreeable yet sexually-frustrated housewife.

Recommendations
If you are looking for an exemplary black comedy from Japan, then give a chance to Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers! I guarantee that crazy confrontations will leave you laughing, whereas outrageous plot twists will make you feel gobsmacked. This movie is for keeps. Please try to grab a Blu-Ray copy of the film from Third Window, which also contains making-of featurette as well as deleted and extended scenes.

Overall score: 8/10

«Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us»