By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Junta Yamaguchi
Starring: Gôta Ishida | Manami Honjô | Riko Fujitani | Shiori Kubo | Yoshimasa Kondô
Year: 2024
Running time: 86
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27695005/reference/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_5
Michael says: “This delightful science fiction comedy starts off modestly enough, introducing us to the staff and guests at the one-hundred-year-old Fujiya inn nestled in a quiet region of Kyoto. The snow covered beauty matches the care in which the staff cater of guests’ needs. It soon becomes apparent to Mikoto, one of the housekeeper staff, as she gazes at the flowing river behind the inn that she and everyone around her are stuck in a two-minute time loop. As each of the characters begin to realize the situation they are in, the amusing conversations, antics, and realizations become a delightfully fresh and funny dive into a fitm that features frantic rushing about, silly discussions about plausible explanations, and even a little romantic comedy to keep the audience engaged.
“The cast is uniformly engaging, and the repetition of the gags never really loses its freshness. Truly a whimsical delight, heartfelt, inventive, and refreshing, director Junta Yamaguchi returns to his time loop gimmick to prove that he really is the master of the genre. 4 1/2 cats
“Screened at the Uniqlo Festival of Films from Japan, Museum of Fine Arts; Available streaming on Hoopla, or for rent on Amazon Prime or AppleTV+”