I'm doing a Japanese zombie film marathon and this doesn't really count... but what the hell. I watched it anyway. It's not a zombie film, but instead the understated, realistic story of an old man who discovers people making a zombie film. I was surprised to find that wikipedia thinks it's a comedy. "Gentle" is the word. It's over two hours long and an aggressive editor could have cut it down to a quarter of that, but its pace is likeable and it works.

Katsuhiko Kishi is a 60-year-old lumberjack whose wife died two years ago and he doesn't get on particularly well with his 25-year-old son. He's played by the great Yakusho Kouji, who I've just noticed won a Best Actor award at Cannes two years ago. Anyway, Katsuhiko lives in a mountain village and doesn't seem to have (or want) anything in his life except cutting down trees. He's a simple chap. He has no interest in cinema, so imagine his feelings on being shanghaied by filmmakers who appear from nowhere and don't even understand how to communicate with him. When they say they want a river, for instance, they expect him to know the dramatic requirements of the script. Nope.

The villagers are amusing, including Katsuhiko's colleagues. I laughed at their excitement on being told that he'd walked a bit, fallen over, stood up and got shot. (As a zombie, of course.) Their attitude even influences Katsuhiko, who gradually develops a surreptitious enthusiasm for zombies despite not knowing what they are. He's surprised to be told that they eat people. Ultimately, the shoot becomes a joint effort between the filmmakers and the clueless villagers, who understand nothing but think being painted grey is a laugh.

A boy, Koichi Tanabe, is involved in the production. Calling him a "boy" is pushing it because he's 25 years old, but that's how Katsuhiko sees him. He's the same age as Katsuhiko's son and even has the same name. After a terrible start, they get to know each other and grow as people.

This film is relaxing and nice. Katsuhiko can be odd, e.g. commenting on an actress's smell seemed dodgy, but that's partly because he has super-senses. He can predict rain. This film won prizes at international film festivals, although you'd raise people's expectations too high if you called it "award-winning". It won't change your life. It's just two good-natured hours with some slightly odd but likeable people in the mountains.