Naisu no mori: The First Contact (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Katsuhito Ishii
Hajime Ishimine

Writers:

Katsuhito Ishii (screenplay)
Hajime Ishimine (screenplay)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Part Animated | Teacher | Slapstick | Experimental Film | Omnibus

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Andrew Alfieri		(as Andoryuu Arufieri)
Hideaki Anno
Moyoco Anno
Tadanobu Asano
Maya Banno
Kazue Fukiishi
Chizuru Ikewaki		(as Chiduru Ikewaki)
Shihori Kanjiya
Ryo Kase	...	Takefumi (as Ryô Kase)
Rinko Kikuchi
Kenji Mizuhashi
Ryû Morioka
Yoshiyuki Morishita	...	Mr. Morishita
Erika Nishikado
Machiko Ono
Takahiro Sato		(as Takahiro Satô)
Kotaro Shiga		(as Kôtarô Shiga)
Mariko Takahashi
Susumu Terajima
Ikki Todoroki
Kanji Tsuda

Also Known As:

Funky Forest: The First Contact (International: English title)

Runtime:

Argentina:150 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Argentina:13

Company:

Naisu no mori Seisaku Iinkai

stop making sense

This film kicks against the mind numbing normality of everyday existence by utilising an inspired surreal and open ended narrative. It is broken up into a series of 'skits', which it jumps in an out of, and plays like a frenetic daydream. As it alternates between humour, horror, romance, pathos, existentialism and stand up routine it brings to mind the work of auteurs David Cronenberg and Matthew Barney and the British comic greats the goodies, the mighty boosh and perhaps even little Britain all melded in a postmodern pastiche.

Exiting the cinema my brother and i heard a girl disputing the worth of the film to her friend stating 'but what is the point of it all'. Well, to paraphase talking heads, sometimes its nice to stop making sense.