OH LUCY!

As usual, when I need a little break from, well, pretty much everything these days, I watch a movie. This one I missed in the theaters but caught on demand. And I was glad I did. Director and co-writer Atsuko Hirayanogi has created in OH LUCY! a blend of humor and deep disappointment that surprises at every turn. Another female director and screenwriter we should all be aware of.

The film is a unique little work of art, the writing and editing perfectly matched by the outstanding cast led by Shinobu Terajima as the conflicted lead character who flips from often typical Japanese restraint and reticence to unexpected expansive and impulsive originality. You've never seen anything quite like her character before.

The film is set in Japan and Southern California and is in Japanese (with English subtitles) and English. The cast represents both cultures as well, with Josh Hartnett in a pivotal role, abetted by a great cameo by Megan Mullally, for the English speakers, and Shioli Kutsuna, Kaho Minami, and Koji Yakusho in the Japanese contingent.

If you like to see films that don't quite fit into any genre and display creative nerve in the chances they take, this might be for you. It was for me.