Directed by Nagisa Ôshima
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Turner Classic Movies)
A dysfunctional family uses a scam involving fake accidents and extortion to make a living. They travel from city to city across Japan, staying one step ahead of the law, living in hotels and seemingly always eating. The father, a brutish military veteran, slaps around his wife when she gets out of line and threatens the kids. Ten-year-old "Boy" learns the ropes of the scam and is a willing participant, even enthusiastic, especially if it helps hold the family together. He has an uneasy, complex relationship with his stepmother and tells stories about aliens to his younger sibling. Everything changes one day when one of the scams goes wrong and the police catch up with them. A fascinating character study set against the "modern" Japan of the late 1960s, where tradition has been replaced by traffic and seedy hotels. The soundtrack by Hikaru Hayashi sets the tone: dreary, modern, almost avant-garde. Ôshima utilizes color, black and white, stills, documentary-style reporting and other techniques from the Japanese New Wave to convey the inner turmoil of the family. There is a memorable scene that takes place in the snow involving a snowman and aliens...
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