The Woodsman and the Rain

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DVD Review: The Woodsman & The Rain

Fans of the horror genre are likely to be drawn to mention of zombies in The Woodsman & The Rain but will be surprised by Shûichi Okita’s charming character study, says Leo Owen…

Director: Shûichi Okita
Writer: Shûichi Okita, Fumio Moriya
Release Date: January 28 2013
Running Time: 129 mins
Certificate:12
Starring: Kôji Yakusho, Shun Oguri, Tsutomu Yamazaki

“It’s a movie about zombies swarming and doing stuff,” says one of the film’s main protagonists. Taken out of context, Koichi’s remark misleading suggests The Woodsman & The Rain focuses on the undead when it’s in fact a film about embracing life.

After his wife’s death several years earlier, 60-year old lumberjack, Katsu (Koji Yakusho), fails to connect with his son, Koichi. Living for his job, Katsu accidentally gets caught up in a fairly amateur movie-production that visits his small mountain village looking for locations.

Long drawn-out shots of Katsu cutting down a tree with plenty of chainsaw action open the film and quickly introduce the tranquility of his surroundings. From the distance a man  almost walks into the path of a falling tree, yelling: “We’re in the middle of a take!” To Katsu, the man is speaking another language and after three repeats of “what”, he finally understands when the mysterious film jargon is explained.

In the first few scenes director/writer Shûichi Okita (The Chef Of South Polar), emphasises how cocooned from the outside world Katsu is. Repeatedly called upon by members of the crew for favours and lifts, he rapidly learns more about the industry, strikes up an odd friendship with young writer/director Koichi Tanube (Shun Oguri) and gets the whole village involved in the production.

Plenty of Okita’s light humour rests on Katsu’s clueless on-set behaviour. Showing Koichi Tanube a tiny stream he deems suitable as a location for a scene involving ten people splashing around, he clearly has no idea of film industry requirements. Having jeopardised sound quality and unintentionally appeared in shot, he ends up becoming a zombie extra, despite not knowing what a zombie is. Playing a zombie who is shot down and swiftly reanimates, in one of the film’s funniest scenes, Katsu habitually dusts off his trousers before fully rising. Still desperately trying to get to work, Katsu is repeatedly hindered by the constant favours asked of him but is finally sent home still made up as a zombie.

Away from filming and screenings of “rushes”, The Woodsman & The Rain is just as entertaining, first presenting Katsu’s relationship with his son through an odd wrestling match over rain-sodden washing. His woodsman colleagues’ over-excitement at him being an actor and getting “shot” in an “action” movie is equally cheering as the comically-timed arrival of family members come for the second anniversary of his wife’s death.

Like Katsu, Koichi Tanube makes for a strange but intriguing character, frequently hearing controlling voices and deciding things will be fine during the shoot as long as he doesn’t eat sweets. Haba San, a famous old actor with bottom pains, is an amusing addition, repeatedly having to re-do his scene. Interactions between the lead two are awkward and slightly surreal, adding charm to an already endearing set-up.

Although overly-long, The Woodsman & The Rain never drags and captivates throughout, leaving us to solve minor character mysteries. In life’s unpredictability, Katsu is the friend we all need, acting as a pretty awesome rain detector. As an unusual buddy story, it is a quietly funny film and uplifts through the development of its unlikely central friendship.

Special Features:

* Interviews With The Cast And Crew
* Deleted Scenes
* Theatrical Trailer

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