113 minutes
Directed by: Hitoshi Matsumoto
U.S. Premiere

Japanese w/ English subtitles

Daisatou just isn't finding satisfaction in his work anymore. He once received rounds of applause for his career accomplishments. Now, bricks are thrown through his window, and the road outside his office is lined with heckling signs of disapproval. Where once he was thought of as a savior, he is now regarded as a public nuisance. Like the sons of millions of other working class families, Dai has simply chosen to follow in the immense footsteps of his father and grandfather in continuing the family trade. Perhaps this is why he allows a film crew to document his mundane daily routine: to demonstrate his similarities to his detractors. What is Dai's occupation? Well, he transforms into a giant and defends Japan from monsters bent on its destruction.

Writer/director/star Hitoshi Matsumoto has created a uniquely hilarious film with BIG MAN JAPAN. He takes the familiar mockumentary style and fuses it with good old-fashioned giant monster science fiction to deliver a film unlike anything we've seen before. The subtle humor of the film, based in Matsumoto's talent for deadpan, is striking; Dai is bogged down by the legacy of his forefathers and harbors a deep-rooted loneliness, yet Matsumoto translates this into hilarity. The battle scenes between Dai and the monsters ("baddies") are eye-poppingly surreal. And if that isn't enough to make your jaw drop, the conclusion of this film will leave you utterly astonished. BIG MAN JAPAN is sure to be a new favorite film for anyone who appreciates the awesomely weird.

-Mark Anastasio