Takashi Miike's family-friendly fantasy — yes, you read correctly: a child-safe film by the writer-director of provocations like ICHI THE KILLER and AUDITION (both 2001) — is a throwback to Euro-fantasy films like THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984). The film is terrific — action-packed, full of weird creatures (the titular
yokai, Japanese folkloric beings with a range of forms, from cute to scary, and varying attitudes towards people), scary in the manner of good fairy tales and jam-packed with complex emotions. Ten-year-old Tadashi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and his recently divorced mother live with her aging father in coastal Sakaiminato (not coincidentally, the hometown...
Released:
2005
Rated:
NR
Length:
124 mins