SFIFF Movie Review: Princess Raccoon
What a weird film. It’s sort of like a cross between a japanese folktale, mixed with Rocky Horror Picture Show, Japanese karaoke style, and a hint of a Queen rock opera. The story is a classic Romeo and Juliet love story. It’s sort of a tale of good vs evil, east vs west, Buddhism vs Catholicism, heaven vs hell, vanity vs purity. The film includes crazy, wacky dance scenes, strange, plastic hamster-like creatures, people who transform into bats, and singing frogs. There are some very interesting scenes where the characters are emersed in watercolor paintings. This is not a flashy Hollywood production, so don’t expect any million dollar special effects. You kind of have to see it to believe it. If you do get the chance to see this film, you might want to make sure your fridge is well stocked with beer. My cynical western attitude makes it hard for me to admit that I had a great time watching this film. But I think maybe I’m part raccoon now, too.
The director, Seijun Suzuki has been making films for over 50 years. He is loved and loathed by many and at age 82, he is going strong.
The last showing at the SF International Film Festival was April 30th. You’ll probably have to look for it at video stores like Le Video that specialize in foreign film.