Happiness of the Katakuri’s

Wow. This is one of those weird cult kind of movies that if the right people see it, it will really get a great following. Or it could end up like Phantom of the Paradise and get lost forever in obscurity.

Katakuri’s is the latest import from Japanese director Takeshi Miike (Audition), and is easily his weirdest film to date. Katakuri’s is a beautifully shot musical about a family so dedicated to each other and their small bed and breakfast that they are willing to go to any lengths to make sure they can all remain together and happy. Which means dealing with the sudden deaths of the few guests that turn up on their doorstep, and with a suspicious Navy man that appears on the scene declaring his love for the daughter of the family. And while it is not a musical in the sense that there are wall to wall songs, the songs come from out of nowhere and set a mood and feeling for the scenes and really make this movie something special. If very, very weird.

Katakuri’s is a farce. It’s meant as a parody of the Japanese Karaoke culture, of the old We Are Happy Dammit movies in which families would find happiness in anything and everything and dammit, THEY WOULD BE HAPPY! There is a lot of Claymation that is done so sloppily at times that a lot of people will mistake that as a sign of shoddy filmmaking when it’s really just a stylistic approach to the events, done more for a laugh than anything else. Because if there is one thing Miike can do is go overboard – be it with gore, humor, or just plain creepiness.

The image on the DVD was amazing and is truly one of the most beautiful discs I have ever seen. And the sound, other than one echoey scene, is really nicely done, showcasing the delightfully odd songs in all their glory. The DVD has quite a few extras such as a translated commentary track (basically an interview during the film), a making of, some trailers, and other odds and ends. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to see the extras but in all honesty the movie is worth buying just for the film. It’s that good.

It’s rare to find a movie like Katakuri’s that is just an out and out joy to watch, knowing full well it was meant to be silly and meant to be weird and meant to be fun. If you are brave, and in the mood for a truly bizarre musical and a just outright strange and fun movie, well, this is your one-stop shop for candied goodness friend.

…c…