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Tuesday, June 5, 2018

'Oh Lucy!' BD & DVD: Quirky Tale of Japaneses Spinster Heeding the Advice to Go West


The separate June 5, 2018 Film Movement DVD and Blu-ray releases of the 2017 quirky dramedy "Oh Lucy!" comes on the heels of a successful theatrical run. Personal good news regarding this film (which has a 100-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes) is that it does nor reflect the typical juvenile humor of executive-producer Will Ferrell.

The following YouTube clip of a festival trailer for "Lucy" shows this excellence in a manner that is very true to the style of the film.


The titular English-speaking Madonna-wig wearing alter-ego of repressed Japanese office worker Setsuko Kawashima comes into being early in an English class in which Kawashima reluctantly enrolls at the urging of her free-spirited niece Mika. Hunky American in Japan John (Josh Hartnett) plays a big role regarding both the emergence of Lucy and the regard that Kawashima has for the instruction.

This portion of "Lucy" provides a terrific look at modern-day Japan complete with dark commentary that shows the effects of the underlying repression in that country. Writer/director Atsuko Hirayanagi artfully expands on that in a scene in which he builds anticipation of the fallout from a truth bomb that Kawashima drops during an otherwise festive outing. In other words, Hello Kitty and bright anime barely covers the deep despair that seems prevalent in Japan.

True hilarity ensues when John quickly and unexpectedly moving back to Cali prompts Kawashima to pursue him accompanied by actual and emotional baggage. This is turn leads to one of the most wonderfully bizarre road trips ever. The completely unexpected sex (which shows that the quickest way to a man's heart is just below his stomach) and drugs more than compensate for the lack of rock-and-roll. Seeing Kawashima fully assert herself is even more fun.

At the same time, Kawashima experiences shocking trauma during this trip that very few viewers will see coming.

As is the case in all good movies, writer/director Atsuko Hirayanagi saves the absolute best for last. Kawashima fully learns about the nature of kaarma but also gets a sense that the right person for us often is not the most obvious choice.

The bigger picture is the universal element that makes a film Movement worthy. People all over the world lead lives of quiet desperation, have family issues, and and are quick to criticize others for flaws that our delusion prevents us from seeing in ourselves.

Not all of us respond by donning a wig and traveling 1,000s of miles in pursuit of a dream. However, fancons overflow with cosplay participants. This is not to mention the Internet being flooded with gamers who adopt Avatars of their ideals selves.

The bonus features include deleted scenes and a festival chat with Hirayangi.




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