GFF 2010: Yatterman

 

There's nothing like a cross between Indiana Jones and LazyTown on cocaine to get audiences talking: Yatterman is a wonderfully kooky film which represents a stylistic departure for cult Japanese director Takashi Miike. The film follows two groups of opposing costumed gangs – the evil Doronbo and girlfriend-boyfriend double act Yatterman - who fight every Saturday at 6.30pm. The Doronbo, sick of losing, set their sights higher and go after a bigger prize: a mystical skull stone. With a colourful palette and kitschy musical interludes Yatterman is complete escapism, with stereotypical Japanese humour that is easily misunderstood. Miike captures the essence of his film's origin (the Japanese anime television series) in the midst of copious innuendos and the exaggerated themes of love and belonging simply help maintain the innocent, fun tone. Will European audiences ever truly understand or appreciate a film like this? With no UK distribution, the GFF has given us the only chance to find out.