And the Mud Ship Sails Away...

A quirky Japanese slacker comedy with strong indie touches. The Foolish Piggies have had a pretty good decade, though it's tricky to get to their films in the West. While this wasn't entirely my type of film, there's enough quirkiness and oddness present to leave me with a pleasant feeling, and the incentive to watch the rest of their films.

Takashi is a deadbeat. He lives with his grandmother in a small house, tries to get by on his benefits every month, and just roams around town to kill time. Nobody really pushes him to do better, until his half-sister turns up out of the blue. She wants to connect with Takashi, which finally forces him to make an effort.

The black and white cinematography is decent, but feels a bit lazy. The soundtrack is a bit more notable, but not exactly subtle or well-integrated. Shibukawa is a perfect lead though, and the film gets progressively weirder, venturing into territory I didn't quite expect early on. Good fun, with the potential to be quite a bit better still.