Japanese omnibus films — collections of similarly themed shorts — were more common a decade or two ago than now. They’ve always been risky box-office bets, and film distributors want a surer thing in today’s fiercely competitive market.
Sabi Otoko Sabi Onna is a comedy omnibus of four segments, some funnier than others. But the overall level of talent on display is high and the end result is a blissed-out feeling, as though the film has been massaging the stress out of your brain.
Leading off is Encouragement Girls (Hagemashi Garuzu), whose director, Fujita Yosuke, made his feature debut in 2008 with the absurdist gem Fine, Totally Fine (Zenzen Daijobu). His heroine is Chiharu (Sakuraba Nanami), a perky college girl who has drafted two pals (Shiratori Kumiko and Kawamura Emiko of the comedy duo Tanpopo) into the title cheer squad.
Instead of football players, they go around bucking up the world’s losers and unlucky, with impromptu but perfectly choreographed cheers that speak directly to their troubles — and hearts. But when they try to cheer up a 52-year-old pro baseball player in a slump, the outcome is not what they expect.
Fujita’s comedy is a finely balanced blend of the observational and the absurd. The girls’ routines, especially, are on the bizarre side, shading to black, including one that “encourages” a would-be suicide to jump off a roof.
In Matsunashi Tomoko’s quirky charmer Boy? meets girl., the teenage dweeb hero Konosuke (Nakamura Aoi), is hopelessly in love with the cute, vivacious Kaori (Renbutsu Misako), the leader of the school photography club. Then, with the help of an aspiring makeup artist (Kusano Ini), Konosuke transforms into Miyu, a gorgeous, if big-jawed, girl. The boys’ plan to make Miyu Kaori’s photo model goes swimmingly, but while Kaori is happily snapping (and later, confiding) away, Miyu/Konosuke starts to chafe at his disguise. He wants love, not a portfolio.
Cranking up the energy level is Oh Mipo’s Claim Night! (Kuremu Naito). Mayuko (Tomochika), a 35-year-old singleton, returns home one night to discover that her electricity has been shut off — and raises holy hell over the phone with the electric company’s robotic call-center operator. When Kasai (Fukuda Tenkyu), a company complaint rep, shows up at her door to apologize, she is not easily mollified. But as they joust, she sees that, under the nerdy glasses and smarmy manner, is a hot-looking guy.
The ensuing back and forth, as Mayuko and Kasai shed their respective personas of customer and complaints guy and reveal their true feelings, swings between the erotic and the ridiculous with the breakneck speed and flawless timing of classic screwball comedy.
Sekiguchi Gen’s House of Suits (Sebiro Yashiki) play like a modern-day fable. Mayumi (Koizumi Kyoko) is an ordinary housewife with a big heart. One hot day, she finds a salaryman, Hirata (Morishita Yoshiyuki) sweltering in a neighborhood park and, with gentle but persistent questioning, learns that he has been fired from his company. Taking pity on the mope, she invites him to her childless, petless and temporarily husbandless house.
He likes what he finds and Mayumi, energized by the success of this good deed, goes in search of other out-of-work suits. A cat lover who once collected strays before her husband cracked down, she soon has a new, human menagerie.
Sekiguchi, best known abroad for his wild surreal comedy Survival Style 5+, takes a completely different tack in this new film. Other than Mayumi’s unusual new hobby, there is hardly anything truly weird, but much that is quietly, glowingly funny.