Hospitalité

Year: 2010
Country: JAPAN
Run Time: 95 minutes

A dark comedy set in a small Tokyo neighborhood, HOSPITALITÉ is a satirical film about Japanese xenophobia and the fear of outsiders. Kobayashi Mikio lives with his young wife, daughter from a previous marriage, and newly returned sister in their inherited house that doubles as a small printing shop. Their existence is mundane and trivial, with the only recent excitement being the disappearance of their parakeet Pi-chan. When Kagawa Hanataro, a stranger who claims he has distant ties to Kobayashi's father, winds up on their doorstep, he invites himself not only into their home, but also into their business and personal lives. His presence threatens to disrupt the peace and order of the Kobayashi household when he moves in with his mysterious, foreign wife Annabelle from Brazil, or Bosnia, or maybe someplace else. As a web of lies, secrets, and blackmail unfold, Kobayashi's loveless marriage to the beautiful, delicate Natsuki is tested and the couple's existence unravels as Kagawa brings guest after guest into their home. Meanwhile, the neighborhood watch and its ever-present paranoia looms over the activities at the Kobayashi residence. Through deadpan dialogue and awkward confrontations, Koji Fukada's film redefines the meaning of HOSPITALITÉ. (In Japanese with subtitles) – M.M.

• Tweet