Ripples

The latest Ogigami isn't a true return to form, but at least she regained some of her former quirkiness. In a sense, it's a pretty typical Japanese family drama, only with more bite and a more dry comedy mixed in. That makes it a somewhat peculiar film that may not work for everybody (especially if you don't pick up on the comedy).

After the Fukushima disaster, a family man freaks out and leaves his family behind. When he finally returns, the grandfather has passed away, his son has moved out of the house, his wife has joined a weird water cult and he is suffering from cancer. Even though his wife is somewhat reluctant to take him back in, her cult doesn't allow her to bear any grudges.

Ogigami finds comedy in the little things, though her signature dryness is given an extra dimension by a darker edge that I don't remember from her other films. The drama is solid, the presentation clean and the performances are on point (with some of her regulars returning). It's not a stand-out in her oeuvre but a step up from her previous films.