Based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka, Yoshihiro Nakamura's film is a curious hybrid that at first seems a little too quirky for its own good. But as the story progresses, the eccentricities become more relevant to the unfolding plot and the strange mystery of events.
It's the sort of plot that is hard to summarise without giving away major spoilers. Suffice to say that it ostensibly follows college student Shiina (Gaku Hamada), who moves to university in Sendai and meets his enigmatic new neighbour Kawasaki. The pair bond over a love of Bob Dylan, and before long, Shiina has been drawn into a scheme to steal a dictionary for Bhutanese neighbour Dorje, ostensibly to help him learn Japanese and understand the difference between 'ahiru' – the native duck – and 'kamo' – the foreign duck.

This sets the scene for a story about identity, friendship and revenge where nothing is quite as it seems. There's a strange mystery at the heart of the film that slowly becomes more apparent throughout the first hour and then is unveiled in the second. It's a film that moves from the charming and eccentric into rather darker territories, and does so without seeming contrived or forced. It's also a rather biting critique of Japanese attitudes to foreigners, who are treated with suspicion and fear, and a look at just how easily reality can be twisted.

Nakamura handles this potentially chaotic story with skill, and is helped by a personable cast that also includes Eita, Megumi Seki, Kei Tamura and Nen Ohtsuka. They help create characters who are believable, even if they stories they tell are not always the truth.
A winning mix of drama, whimsy, social commentary and mystery, this is a surprisingly entertaining, always fascinating little film.

DAVID FLINT

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