Adrift in Tokyo

"Flawlessly written and shot by a man who seems to have figured out exactly what sort of filmmaker he is and where his strengths lie," the edgy, offbeat and unexpectedly charming comedy Adrift in Tokyo "makes it very clear that Miki Satoshi...has become one of the strongest voices in Japanese film" (Todd Brown, Twitch). Lazy student Takemura, drifting through his eighth year of university, owes money to loan sharks. When mullet-haired thug Fukuhara shows up to collect the debt, Takemura can’t pay. Fukuhara roughs him up and gives him 72 hours to come up with the cash. When Fukuhara turns up again, he makes the desperate student a surprising offer: he’ll cancel the debt if Takemura agrees to accompany him on a long walk across Tokyo. "Their languid walk leads to a dark revelation...The two create an unexpected — and hilariously touching — father-son bond. The experience moves Takemura to comment: 'Happiness creeps into you so slowly, you don’t even notice.' The same could be said for this film" (Meghan Dean, Eye Weekly). "A comic stroll that is indeed aimless, but consciously, introspectively, and out-of-left-field hilariously so" (Aaron Hillis, Village Voice). Colour, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 101 mins.