Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter [Blu-ray]

Simple script, wonderfully executed. The Kumiko character was brilliant. Fairly realistic depiction of how thankless and cruel Japanese corporate culture can be as well as societal pressures for woman reaching her 30's in Japan. Her story was so sad and brought a few tears to my eyes. Despite her mental illness I couldn't help admiring her determination, faith and passion for discovery. She had a strong Japanese spirit and never gave up. Never was a big fan of the Fargo movie, and didn't know anything about the urban legend of the Japanese woman who died in Detroit Lakes. I thought it was real creative how they integrated that story line into this one the camera work was great, acting was great and the story flowed well with some pretty humorous twists. I am a native Minnesotan and spent a couple years teaching English in Japan so I have a strong connection to both cultures. I can understand how someone without these natural connections may have a harder time relating to the story. I wonder what Kumiko's next adventure will be, I'd love to come along.

This movie exists in two parts I think the second part is a little longer than the first but they are roughly equal. The first part is in Japan and it was in Japanese with English subtitles. I don't like reading subtitles but there wasn't much dialog so it wasn't so bad. The second part is in America (Minnesota, North Dakota) and is in English, this was much nicer for me :) To begin with I liked the look of this film. I thought it was very beautiful almost every scene I found attractive and engaging I wanted to travel to these spots and see them for myself.I haven't ever really fit in anywhere. I don't really understand people and they don't understand me. I have spent most of my life alone and afraid trying to find that one magic bullet that will make everything alright. Sometimes I think that it is all just a nightmare and I will wake up to my big house and my loving family. But there isn't any magic bullet and when I wake there isn't any reprieve.I loved Kumiko (the character). On the outside I thought that she was as lovely as the movie itself. On the inside I could very easily identify with her struggles. Things were going wrong for her and she didn't know how to fix them. She was hurting people and she didn't want to.... and she couldn't stop. But then she heard of a silver bullet that could make all the pain go away. She went on an incredible trek in an effort to set everything right. I'm not going to tell you if it worked or not.... I will tell you that if you are open to this type of experience then this particular movie will melt your heart.

Please may I have my money back on this rental? A waste of time. A deeply depressed, despondent, disturbed young Japanese woman is the film's protagonist. We neither feel a connection to her or even a sense of compassion or understanding of why she feels the way she does. It is a one-note performance. Endless scenes of the woman staring and wandering despondently: into a teacup, in a library, a video store, around her town, in a cafe, out the window of a train traveling through snow-covered landscape, walking in parking lots, subway stations, and always clad in the same red jacket. I have just described the entire movie. The "hook" of the film is that she is convinced the ransom money in the movie "Fargo" really exists and she can find it. It is a hook upon which a feather would not hang. A movie so sad and despondent and pointless....save your time.

I have such mixed feelings about Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter. The cinematography was exquisite, Mrs. Kikuchi's acting was deeply touching, the long pauses in some scenes let the gravity soak in, and the whole look of the movie was just superb for me. The whole time I thought I was going to love it as a quirky, deep, pensive, art movie...however now that is over I'm left with a feeling of confusion and sadness for Kumiko; maybe that's the point. The movie builds up suspense and compassion for the excellently played main character, but there's never really a climax or resolution for me. I'm glad that Bunzo was there in the end - a suggestion that she had completely detached from reality, or more likely life.For parents. The movie is almost entirely clean of objectional scenes, except for the blood stained character in the movie she watches several times, however the intense/dark music and the weight of some scenes would probably be disturbing. No violence, cussing, nudity, etc. PG'ish.P.S. - Here's the urban legend this movie is based on and the true story behind it. Worth reading if you're left wondering where the inspiration came from: http://kotaku.com/the-real-story-behind-kumiko-the-treasure-hunter-1694010461