Review of Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2014) by Matt C — 08 Apr 2015

I absolutely love it when movies are kind to their characters, but it's arguably better when they're sympathetic to their characters. You would expect a movie about a jaded Japanese woman who finds a VHS tape of Fargo and tries to hunt down the money from the movie to be sardonic, but it is.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is actually really sweet and quite unique, and I'm a pretty sarcastic bastard. What's exciting here is that the movie knows its protagonist and replicates her world view.

She's a little lonely, a little wary of the world, and distinct due to her uniqueness. The movie captures it so well, though, telling it from her perspective in a very successful manner. We want her to find this treasure and we want to believe what she believes is true.

Her red coat makes her the star of nearly every frame while we see a confusing world from her eyes, her outfit evoking memories of Little Red Riding Hood as well as that character's sense of wonder.

The film's story also works better than it really should, juxtaposing alienation with culture shock and injecting humor at fitting moments. It doesn't work perfectly, though, as its minimalist qualities cause the movie to lose its footing around the one-hour mark.

There's about a seven-minute sequence where I felt my interesting waning, and there's about five minutes where I got bored. The rest of its 104-minute runtime, however, is almost hypnotic. It's beautifully shot and feels fantastical at times.

There are almost some very brief moments where I was put off by the character of Kumiko and her actions; there's one scene that comes close to making her feel like an opportunist. Otherwise, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is adorable and unique, and despite its occasional flaws, I left the theater with an elevated mood.

8.3/10, really good, one thumb up, definitely above average, etc.