Hard-Core

Hirsute sad-sack Ukon and his only friend, Ushiyama, a kindhearted oddball, are hired by an aging nationalist to dig for the Shogun’s buried gold, so he can restore Japan’s Imperial honor. When Ushiyama finds a rusty old robot and Ukon’s tech-savvy younger brother Sakon revives it, they name him Roboo and take him to work. Roboo is a gifted gold miner, but it’s only when his friends are attacked one night that his true talents emerge, in a flash of blinding light. Yamashita’s first sci-fi tinged tale is a mirthful drama about loneliness, male bonding, female lust and doing the right thing. (New York Asian Film Festival)