In Edo times, around the 17th century, it was common for Samurais to move households to another location on the command of the Shogun. That caused whole villages to move and leave behind many of their belongings. So is the fate of the Matsudaira Clan, who is forced to relocate 400km. Since the procession is a logistical challenge associated with a lot of costs, the daimyo assigns bookworm Katagiri to undertake this ungrateful task.
“Samurai Shifters” is screening at Toronto Japanese Film Festival
Based on a script by Akihiro Dobashi, who wrote the recent Samurai dramas “Samurai Hustle” (2014) and “Samurai Marathon” (2019), the period piece is a mix of comedy and historical insight. Precedent by the shallow “Floating Castle” (2012) director Isshin Inudo takes another try on the genre and breaks away from his endless women-with-animal flicks (“All About my Dog” 2005, “Gou-Gou, the Cat” 2008, “The Cat in Their Arms” 2018). Indo started his career in 1999 with the very promising “Across a gold Prairie” and won several awards with “Josee, the Tiger and the Fish” (2003). Along the way, he left his avant-garde roots and entered a more mainstream terrain. “Samurai Shifters” marks a new era for Indo, who starts to master popular cinema with a deep storytelling and light humor.
The topic of moving is an universal one, which makes it easy for everyone to relate to the story. Shot on original sights in Himeji, the quirky main protagonist played by Gen Hoshino (“Love & Peace” 2015) conveys a good performance. He may not be a comedic genius, his facial expressions are not overly funny, but Hoshino keeps up the balance between sincerity and goofiness. Alongside play Issey Takahashi (“Romance Doll” 2020), Mitsuki Takahata (“Rage” 2016), and “Lonely Gourmet”-star Yutaka Matsushige, who represent only the tip of a high-class cast.
Besides a rather neglectable love interest, “Samurai Shifters” offers a genuine image of the former understanding of loyalty and hierarchy without constructing a complex net of characters. A straightforward storytelling approach allows an easy access for the viewer, who is not bothered with long dialogues or ancient history lessons. There are even some bad-ass action sequences that use slow motion in combination with rock music. The movie blends them in with folkloric chants to merge modern and traditional elements.
The pacing holds one of the few weak points. As the story draws to a close, new incidents occur and lengthen the watching experience needlessly. Indo misses the right moment to finish, which dims a so far passable film. Compared to “Floating Castle”, the director makes a huge leap forward and improves his dealing with the period subject. The lately released documentary “Seijo Story” about legendary director Nobuhiko Obayashi is another eye-opener to Indo's understanding of cinema and should be reason enough to check out his works.
