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This is a brilliant film. Surely Juzo Itami's best. Cinematically complex and sophisticated. Emotionally poignant. I'll always remember the swinging log scene, contextualizing an adulterous affair. Also, the tracking shot of the soles of the kneeling family's feet, as they grow impatient with a sermon. You find out a little about each character, looking at the bottoms of their feet. So much is communicated with so little. It could be that I am missing some of the comedy, because I am not familiar with Japanese culture. But, in lieu of comedy, I found a poignant reflection on family dynamics, when estranged family members are reunited by a death. Poetic like Tarkovsky. Funny like Itami. This movie remains among my ten most favorite films.

I was sold on this short from the opening shots. One is compelled first by the beauty of each frame, and then by the mystery that unfolds within them. It is rare that a fifteen minute film can generate and maintain a sufficient intensity to absorb its audience in fear. It is a testament to the filmmaker that certain of the more nightmarish scenes which, in another director's hands, could have been taken as absurdly comedic, instead manage to send chills down your spine. Find it and watch it!

This is one damn funny short film. Do you want to see a funny short film? Because, that is what this is. So, if you want to see a funny short film, this one would be a smart choice. A man comes into contact with fruit juice. Zany antics ensue, as his soul leaves his body. Slow, painful death has never made me laugh so hard.