Review of Fine, Totally Fine (2008) by Andrew T — 17 Nov 2008

Life is full of ups and downs. Yosuke Fujitaâ??s use of slow pacing and near lift muzak make Fine, Totally Fine feel like a lift journey, with each character experiencing both lifeâ??s ups and lifeâ??s downs.

Nicely comical, the film starts with 2 best friends, one of which is played by the delightful Yoshiyoshi Arakawa (Japanese for â??funny manâ??). With one an overly nice administrative clerk and the other a would-be haunted house film maker, the comic moments are uniquely Japanese.

The pair both fall for the same girl, a timid artist, who in turn falls for the facially scarred customer in the bookshop where she works. Full of wild and wonderful characters, the film is effortlessly funny, as it slowly moves along, never becoming overly sentimental.

Fujitaâ??s life pace for the ups and downs of life is hardly a rollercoaster ride, but this film is good, totally good.