Bea Swanson
This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Lidia Draper
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
areatw
It's difficult to describe or explain 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter', because there's nothing quite like it. I'm not even sure how you would categorise this film. Officially it's a drama, but it's also a comedy/adventure and one of very few films that's bleak and depressing yet somehow amusing at the same time.'Kumiko' is a slow and subtle film that relies heavily on the title character. The mystery and intrigue surrounding her is probably the only thing that makes this otherwise dull film interesting. In fairness, it does for this reason make for quite fascinating viewing, though the viewer does require a lot of patience and much of the subtle humour requires attention to pick up on. 'Kumiko' is a strange film and certainly on the weirdest comedy dramas I've seen.
Anssi Vartiainen
An introverted, heavily antisocial woman in Japan sees Fargo, the Coen Brothers film about a couple of gangsters failing at a job, and in the process hiding and losing a briefcase full of money. Fair enough, but the fun and the story start when she becomes fixated on the fact that surely this must be a true story and there's a real treasure somewhere on the side of a North Dakota road just waiting for her.Kumiko is a bizarre story, as you have probably already surmised. Rinko Kikuchi, most known for Pacific Rim, plays the lead here, and she absolutely sells the character. She is the epitome of a square peck in a round hole and it's at times painful to see her trying to surmount the obstacles of everyday life that we take for granted. And a lot of the mystery of the film comes from wondering how she ended up like this and just how deep her condition goes. There's a very good scene near the beginning where she meets an old friend, who greets her like any other high school friend you have not seen for years, and you realize that surely Kumiko was not always like this. Something happened.But the real treats start rolling when Kumiko decides to follow her only true passion and buys a plane ticket to America. The rest cannot be really talked about without spoiling the story, but trust me that it's just as surreal as Fargo at its best and, more often than not, even more so.Plus, the ending, which is just about perfect. The only way this kind of story could really end.Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is an experience. Its reach is perhaps greater than its grasp, but it's still a movie I'd definitely recommend for its sheer ambition and uniqueness.
Cathex
Very interesting film about an isolated and apparently autistic girl who sets off to find an obsessional 'treasure' she believes she has discovered from a fictional movie.Although currently rated the same as 'Fast and Furious' on IMDb, which must be someone's idea of a bad joke, this movie is a work of art.The film, although humorous and often heartwarming, is in essence a tragic depiction of the search for meaning and self-worth in an individual who is alienated from the world and ultimately alone. The cinematography is at times hauntingly beautiful and the direction is superb.Well worth seeing.
Oliver Davidson
I loved this film for its surreal story line and beautiful photography. Its about a girl who seems to be detached from the outside world and uninterested in engaging with work colleagues, family or old friends. She leads what seems to be a lonely life in a small apartment which she shares with her pet rabbit. One of the beautiful things about the film is that you can never really tell what Kumiko is thinking, or what her emotional state is. The film starts with Kumiko walking to a beach and using a map to locate what we expect to be treasure, but in fact is an old VHS copy of Fargo. This is the source of her inspiration to go hunting for the treasure hidden in that film. There are many great scenes and to me this is an instant classic. I particularly like Kumiko's determination and conviction when everyone else is telling her she is mad. She is a really interesting character.
