Erik, the Asian Movie Enthusiast presents:

A review of “The Funeral”, a Japanese dramatic comedy from 1984 that was directed by Juzo Itami.

Here's the plot synopsis off of the recent Criterion release: “It’s death, Japanese style, in the rollicking and wistful first feature from maverick writer-director Juzo Itami. In the wake of her lasivious father’s sudden passing, a successful actor (played by Itami’s wife and frequent collaborator, Nobuko Miyamoto) and her husband (played by Tsutomu Yamazaki) leave Tokyo and return to their family house to oversee a traditional funeral. Over the course of three days of mourning that bring illicit escapades in the woods, a surprisingly materialistic priest (played by Yasujiro Ozu regular Chishu Ryu), and cinema’s most epic sandwich handoff, the tensions between public propriety and private hypocrisy are laid bare. Deftly weaving dark comedy with poignant family drama, “The Funeral” is a fearless satire of the clash between old and new in Japanese society in which nothing, not even the finality of death, is off-limits.”

This is a very good quality movie, even if it’s more laid-back than something like “Tampopo.”

Top 5 Juzo Itami Movies: [ Ссылка ]

Check out my Japanese movie review playlist: [ Ссылка ]

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