“It's groundhog week! Akemi and her office colleagues go through the same work week over and over again. The time loop might be caused by their boss's procrastination and his unfinished manga.”
Ryo Takebayashi's “Mondays: See You “This” Week!” wastes no time diving into its absurd ‘groundhog day' scenario of a group of office workers caught in an infinite loop, placing two staffers as peculiar eccentrics working to convince their co-worker, Akemi, of the perplexing scenario. As each member of the office is brought into the fold of being aware of this repetition, the humor only escalates as they turn their eyes on their boss whose hidden desires may be the catalyst for the cyclical nightmare the workers find themselves trapped in.
Mondays: See You “This” Week is screening at Nippon Connection
This no-nonsense, quick-fire approach to comedy works swimmingly in “Mondays: See You “This” Week!”, ensuring the quirky comedy never falls into tedium or predictability. Moreover, the film offers a heartwarming turn of events to add some needed sentimentality to the, otherwise, absurdist comedy. While it is difficult to point to one instance to highlight the comedic charm of the work, given the abundance of them, the joy of the movie really comes from learning more about the various staffers as they are forced into becoming more familiar with each other on a personal level to gain trust and plan their ultimate breach of the time loop. As such, the performances from each actor are essential to creating and keeping the comedic flow lively.
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The focus, though largely on Wan Marui as the aspiring advertising professional Akemi, does not mean there are any bit parts. Thanks to the sharp and clever script from Natsuo Saeri, every actor brings their own quirks and eccentricities into the comedic sci-fi feature. Particularly, Makita Sports as boss Nagashige has one of the most notable and sincere performances despite being largely absent as a character for the bulk of the film's runtime. Ultimately, every actor lands their role and wonderfully adds to the chaos of the office mystery.
The presentation and visuals are perfectly suited for a comedy of this ilk, with Ryo Takebayashi interjecting a lot of personality into a relatively small office space. The score is aptly quirky, and the film jumps between characters in a way that really punctuates the comedic timing of Natsuo Saeri's sharp script. Consequently, “Mondays: See You “This” Week!” exudes comedic charm from every end of the production.
As a general cynic when it comes to the comedy genre, there are few films that can really illicit such deep laughter, yet “Mondays: See You “This” Week!” is a brilliantly crafted indie that will charm even the most detached fan of the genre. Moreover, fans of boisterous and expressive Japanese comedies will find this to be an exemplary work in the genre. Ultimately, “Mondays: See You “This” Week!” seems destined for a larger audience as it makes the rounds at festivals, it has that infectious charm that makes it a comedy that one will want to discuss and revisit.
The truth is I’m not very familiar with japanese movies, but I just finished it and wow, it was fun and it’s good to see another take of time loop stories. Thanks you for letting me know this film exist, I instanly bookmarked your web, so much to see!
Thanks for checking out the review. I’m glad you enjoyed the film as much as I did!