Kikujiro

Columbia TriStar is proud to present the fourth film in the Silk Screen Collection and the first from Japan. 'Kikujiro' is a delightful tale about Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) an innocent Japanese boy who is lead on a wild goose chase at the whim of a fiery cold-hearted old codger named Kikujiro (Beat Takeshi).

The story begins when Masao stumbles across a photo of his long lost mother, and immediately he is fixed on the idea of tracking her down. But this is something a nine-year-old lad needs a little guidance with - and so the gruff Kikujiro steps in and the entertaining journey is set in motion.

Kikujiro manages to instantaneously flitter away their travel funds while gambling at the cycle-drome, (forcing poor little Masao to pick the winning sequence of cyclists). Proving to anything than the perfect 'sensei', the harebrained antics of Kikujiro continue as he steals food off strangers, smashes the windscreen of a truckie who won't give him a ride, refusing to pay hotel bills and comes to heads with the circus mafia. The crazy escapades continue (often reminiscent of a Japanese torture game show!) Along with a crew of stragglers picked up on the way, including Baldy and Fatty the Japanese Hells Angel biker types, and a traveling-hippy poet). In order to keep the sullen Masao entertained (or is it themselves?) they playing naked statues, masquerade as aliens and octopuses and engage in lots more craziness.

Eventually the tempestuous Kikujiro begins to show a slightly more compassionate side, giving Masao a special 'Bell Angel' (which is coincidently stolen off Fatty and Baldy!) that he tells when rung will cause a guiding angel to appear. With a strong essence of Japanese artistry and surreal cinematography, this is a beautiful film that captivates enchanting aspects of Japanese culture and their unique droll sense of humour.


- Louise Buckingham