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| Rinko Kikuchi |
Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: David Zellner
Written By: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
Starring: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Shirley Venard
- Premable -
Clocking in with another film that I missed at Sundance, this is a film that has a premise so unique that it is impossible to wonder why I didn't pay more attention to it. Starring Rinko Kikuchi, it is all about the events of finding the treasure in the great film Fargo. The positive reviews have only made it seem more like one of the best films of the year and unfortunately is one that I have to wait to see. Nonetheless, the trailer has finally premiered and I cannot wait to give it a viewing.
I don't exactly know what to expect from it, as the premise alone is a little too hard to properly sell without breaking into a laugh. In fact, I don't really have much of a preamble to fill up space here because it is one of those films that I haven't been too invested in collecting every small piece of data and exploiting until the film came out. I don't even have fine enough things to say about the film's legacy in our culture, because there hasn't been too much. Sorry to come up short here.
- Dissection -
For starters, there's very little to tie it directly to Fargo present in the trailer. While there's a sense that she is going on a journey, there isn't a single reference to the film that is blatant and would tip off the viewer to actually understanding the premise. It comes across as a series of images of Rinko Kikuchi going on a journey while some disembodied voice tells her about the tumultuous journey at which she is about to face. Things are complicated and are way different than what I imagined things were going to be. At best, people with good geography skills may be able to notice various shots of Minnesota, though I cannot confirm or deny any of them.
To me, the trailer comes across as a group of ominous images meant to imply a darker and more haunting quality to the film. The one thing that is immediately clear is that this is going to be a very well shot film. With haunting, atmospheric music, the images flash a sense of uncertainty and almost comes across as more of a horror film before the jump scare cuts in. I am not sure if that is the actual plot of the film, but it does feel like we're in for something scary. It could just be that travelling is itself inherently unpredictable.
However, I am captivated enough by the images to wonder what it is that is going on here. With Kikuchi walking through buildings and talking to strangers, there's enough surreal moments to make me confused and intrigued simultaneously. However, I don't know that isolated from knowing the plot or even the quality of the film that it makes me care. I like how it feels, but I am not captivated to know where she is going since there isn't much of a purpose that is made abundantly clear. At best, it seems like an above average film about travelling to unknown quarters.
- One Sentence Sell -
Rinko Kikuchi goes on a trip to somewhere to do some thing and a lot of strange things keep happening to her.
- Trove or Trash -
TRASH
I have been looking forward to this film for quite some time. However, I cannot quite figure out why I should care about it after seeing this trailer. At best, it has a few ringing endorsements scattered throughout, though that isn't enough to make me care. I wanted something more than a few teasing images to clarify why we should care or at least explain the significance of the title. It is scary and desolate, sure, but what else does this have to offer?
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