This movie has to be read between the lines. A very kind-hearted comedy about an outsider looking for a way in, it's a story of a Buddhist monk, ex-rocker, pushed into the order by his family, who wanted to disassociate him from his destructive and embarrassing antics on the stage. Now, held together by the peace of the shrine and pills, he suffers a crisis of self and decides that he needs to play live one more time. His family and the people around him are all trying to go through the same process in different ways - should one be pushed into a social self (perhaps more important in Japanese culture than in most Western societies), or allowed self-expression at all costs? By exploring the wacky characters around Zonen, the movie takes us through a comedic story, all the while hinting at deeper questions of trying to find enlightenment. The music and camera work are fluid. I was very happy watching and re-watching it, and truly recommend it.
