Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter cover image

Kumiko is a disilutioned office worker from Tokyo that one day sets out on a journey to find a treasure she is convinced exists in America. She has seen so in a movie, it is her destiny.

The film is a quaint, darkish comedy which does not rush things forward. We get well aquanted with Kumiko, her dislike for social interaction, and distaste for her job, her coworkers and especially her boss. Her only passion is the search for the treasure. Her only companion is Bunzo – her rabbit.

As socially disabled and awkward as Kumiko may be, the people she meets along the way is even worse. This slow paced orgy of awkwardness combined with great filming and desolate landscapes is what make this film resonate with me. The contrast between the overcrowded Tokyo and the desolation of Minnesota, the mundane daily routine against the dream of a rich treasure, the almost anti-social Kumiko against the perhaps over-social helpers she meets along the way…

I highly recommend this film if you like to watch something a bit off from the Hollywood mainstream! Watch it on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kumiko[Vimeo On Demand], or other film sites on the net.