Slackerific Odagiri and the Miki Satoshi connection
Posted on Tuesday, 12 June 2007 at 4:20 pm
Speaking of original screenplays, here’s one written by actor, playwright and stage director Iwamatsu Ryo that he’ll be filming himself, starring Odagiri Joe and Aso Kumiko no less: “Soshite Natsu ga Kita” (something like “Then Summer Came”).
The Eiga Consultant Nikki blog mentioned this briefly while talking about the recent season finale of Miki Satoshi’s “Kaette kita Jiko Keisatsu“, a Friday night television series which also happens to star Odagiri and Aso (in a rare comedic role). It’s actually the second series of “Jiko Keisatsu”, which has steadily built a growing cult audience thanks to Odagiri’s fervent female fanbase and Miki’s peculiar mix of absurdist farce and drama. Funnily enough, Iwamatsu, who also appeared in Miki’s “Kame wa Igai to Hayaku Oyogu” (2005) and “Damejin” (2006), has a supporting role in the TV show.
Iwamatsu’s first film as a director for 14 years, his last being “Ohaka to Rikon” in 1993, is a comedy about Kanzaki Nobuo (Harada Yoshio) and his good-for-nothing son Tamio (Odagiri) set in a nondescript suburban town. Nobuo is stuck in the past and can’t let go of his offspring, while Tamio refuses to grow up, and neither of them have a particularly developed sense of responsibility. Then a wedding comes along to upset their stagnant lives…
Other cast members include Otake Shinobu as Nobuo’s lover, Kobayashi Kaoru (who starred in “Ohaka to Rikon”) as Tamio’s uncle, Fuji Manami, Eguchi Noriko, Ishida Eri, Tanaka Tetsushi and Mitsuishi Ken. Shooting began on June 1st, and distributor Stylejam aims to release the finished product sometime in 2008. (source: Cinematopics)
Miki’s Kikuchi Rinko-starring “The Insects Unlisted in the Encyclopedia” (Zukan ni Notte inai Mushi) will be opening on June 23rd and could be the film that at last gains him some well-deserved recognition overseas, but Japanese audiences won’t have to wait long for a follow-up as “Tenten” is slated for release this coming winter. It stars Miki regular Odagiri as well as Miura Tomokazu and Koizumi Kyoko, with a script by Miki based on Fujita Yoshinaga’s novel of the same name (published by Shinchosha, so it could be a product of their Contents Projects Office).
This synopsis suggests it’ll be a departure from Miki’s usual light-hearted weirdness, veering into serious mystery territory:
A man named Fukuhara (Miura) suddenly shows up at the apartment of self-indulgent, debt-laden third-year university student Fumiya (Odagiri). He’s come to collect on what Fumiya owes. They come to an agreement: if Fumiya walks with Fukuhara from Inokashira Park to Sakuradamon, he’ll waive his debts and pay him one million yen in cash.
The next day, Fumiya heads off to meet Fukuhara at the park, not sure whether he can trust him. They begin to walk. Fumiya asks Fukuhara why they’re going to Sakuradamon. He tells him that a trivial matter led to him hitting his wife, and in the heat of the moment, he killed her. He plans to turns himself in at the police station in Sakuradamon, but Fumiya has his doubts as to whether Fukuhara is telling the truth… (source: Zak Tokyo)