The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)

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 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2022


Director: Takashi Miike

Writers: Kikumi Yamagishi, translation by Ai Kennedy

Stars: Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida, Tetsuro Tanba, Kiyoshiro Imawano, Naoto Takenaka



Masao Katakuri (Kenji Sawada) buys an inn and recruits his family (Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda, Naomi Nishida & Tetsuro Tanba) to help him run it.

 


Unfortunately, there are few guests and those that do come tend to die before they leave.

 


Worried about the bad reputation they might get, the family buries the bodies in the nearby forest. 



Sound dreary and depressing?

 


It's not, due to the bizarrely cheerful musical numbers and the plucky charm of this family that is determined to do its best and keep trying no matter what opposes them.

 


Director Takashi Miike makes a virtue of the film's low budget by filming the action and special effects sequences in claymation.

 


The cast is terrific, including Kiyoshiro Imawano, who gives a hilarious performance as a con man impersonating a Japanese American on leave from the Gulf War.










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