Dir. Nakamura Yoshihiro , Japan , 2009, Dur. 112 mins, in Japanese with Engl. subtitles
Cast: Atsushi Ito, Kengo Kora, Gaku Hamada, Mikako Tabe, Mirai Moriyama
Review by Carlie Newman
The film has attracted much attention because of its unusual storyline and presentation. It is admittedly rather strange and it is not until the final part that we are able to get the full picture. Until then the film draws together different stories taking place over 37 years around a little known punk rock song. Four time periods illustrate the theme of how the song “Fish Story” saves the world.
We begin in a record shop in Tokyo in 1975, where an unpopular Japanese punk group called ‘Gekirin,' headed up by the singer (Kengo Kora), are working on a new song, which they realise will be their final one as they are about to be overtaken by the Sex Pistols, who will hit the UK market the following year.
In 1982 a nervous student called Masashi (Gaku Hamada) becomes fascinated by the song, in particular the one-minute silence in the middle. When he learns from a girl he meets at a bar that he will not only save the world one day but also meet the woman he is destined to spend his life with that very night, he is naturally sceptical. He later comes across a girl being and we see him walk away in a most un-heroic manner.
In 2009 a high-school girl called Asami (Mikako Tabe) falls asleep during a school trip and is left behind on the boat. She is befriended by a kindly cook ( Mirai Moriyama ) who tells her how he his father trained him in martial arts to be a ‘champion of justice.' When armed hijackers take over the boat his skills are put to the test.
Finally, we are brought back to 2012 where a huge comet is threatening to destroy the Earth. We learn that the US has failed to blow it up. With five hours left before the end of the world, the record shop is the only place open and we hear “Fish Story” playing on an old turntable. How the disaster is averted and the coda to the film is so astonishing and gratifying in its simple tying up of loose ends that you may well want to see it again knowing what is to come!
Based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka , this tale is a mixture of science fiction and comedy. Its four stories are linked but are each one is also interesting in its own right. It also features a number of delightful cameos. In fact t his lovely film has some little acting gems, particularly Moriyama, who is the coolest of heroes as he tackles the hijackers and also Tabe as the over-hysterical schoolgirl, stranded on the boat because once she is asleep nothing can wake her. The seemingly ridiculous premise of a 70s punk rock band saving the world in spite of failing as a group comes over as completely believable by the end. As the film finishes, the audience smiles with delight as the disparate stories are brought together in this small film with a big heart.
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