Survival Family

A little too serious for Yaguchi, basically a parlor drama turned on its head. I admit I was in agony while watching because I couldn't stand the family – the decisions they made were just awful (it's not even their ignorance during the beginning of the blackout so much as what happens afterwards). There were a lot of illogical things going on. If you can rise above that, you might enjoy the film. It's definitely easier to watch then. In my mind, an interesting idea poorly executed. But it's certainly interesting to watch it and think for yourself about what one would do in such a moment. The film certainly has a way of sparking debate. (07.04.2018)

This movie completely fooled me. Although it would seem from the inclusion of this in the "comedy" genre on many movie databases, and the comedic focus of the trailer, that this movie is indeed a comedy, that is absolutely not the case. All the comedy scenes, which you can count on one hand, are basically restricted to the trailer and the rest is serious "post-apocalyptic" drama. So, here is where the problem arises, because I went into the movie theater expecting Yaguchi to deliver a lion’s share of absurdist humor and imaginative depictions of a world without electricity, and while watching it I kept waiting for something that never came. But so be it, I am an idiot, I was expecting something completely different, as I misunderstood the author’s intent in the trailer. Unfortunately, the problem is that even as a serious "post-apocalyptic" movie it doesn't really work. Emotions are amped up to the hilt, but the vision of a Japan without electricity itself is handled very superficially, and I just did not see any interesting ideas, which is a shame, because it slips into being a very ordinary drama, where the extraordinary setting plays only second fiddle. I also agree with the Czech critic Ziza, that in some respects I was just shaking my head in disbelief at the behavior of the family members in some scenes. It is a shame, the acting is decent, and the concept had a lot of potential to be engaging, but unfortunately, the end result often put me to sleep and I was woken out of it every time by members of the family screaming or by the pleasant closing song. (Seen at Toho Cinemas Nijo, Kyoto, 3/2017.) (21.10.2018)