Kumiko The Treaure Hunter (2014) is a film by Nathan Zellner that describes the journey of a 29 year old Japanese woman who is very depressed because her life has not turned out the way she imagined. She holds a job as a secretary and has become socially awkward. Her relationship with her mother is very distant and her mother constantly asks about whether or not she has met the right man for her. Kumiko is disappointed with the way of life that people engage themselves with. She no longer finds satisfaction in living, until she stumbles upon a video tape of the movie Fargo. If you are familiar with Fargo, you know that the villain, Steve Buscemi ends up burying a suitcase with money in the middle of nowhere. After Kumiko watches the film, she believes that the suitcase with money is real and decides to go to the United States to retrieve what she believes to be rightfully hers. The movie continues to capture Kumiko’s journey in North Dakota and alludes to some of the historical scenes that were first introduced in the original Fargo film.
My students recently began a Foreign Film Club after school and they have been watching and reviewing films with one another. I plan to request this film to them so that they can watch it once it is released on DVD. Moreover, my school is trying to raise awareness and will be conducting an Asian Festival on Thursday. Students prepare for the festival by conducting little booths in which they provide information about countries. There are also other activities incorporated during the festival and although this is a new part of building culture in our school, students are very excited.
If I were to teach this film to my students, I would connect this non-print source to identity and ask students to write about what they think their lives would be like when they are 29 years old. I would also ask them to describe what Kumiko’s treasure holds and for them to write or illustrate their own treasure. Moreover, students can connect the film to the short story unit that I usually conduct at the beginning of the school year. The unit focuses on identity and your place in society.
I truly enjoyed the film and I recommend it to everyone. The ending is unexpected and I will leave this for you to find out once you see the film.
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Kumiko The Treasure Hunter
05/04/2015 04:33 AM
#1
Kumiko The Treasure Hunter
I was wondering if the unexpected ending of the movie is not a metaphore of Kumiko's death in the snow covered forest, and not the fulfillment of her dream. what do you think?
Yes, that is exactly what I thought. I thought the ending was very sad, but a real depiction of what people go through. I believe that the ending was a metaphor for the loss that many people encounter and the loss of dreams. It is very disheartening that the main character did not have anyone to speak to about her troubles. I believe that having support or someone present can always help people overcome the isolation they are feeling and find a way to survive.