David and Nathan Zellner’s latest offering, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, offers up a fictional rendition of an urban myth about a Japanese woman who seeks out the fortune buried in the Coen brothers’ Fargo (1996). It was selected for Official Competition at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, and it is easy to see why: the film is a subtle yet powerful exploration of the desire for escapism in the face of a bleak reality.

In the first half of the movie, we are made privy to the various moments of banality that comprise protagonist Kumiko’s (Rinko Kikuchi) life in Tokyo: the persistent and disdainful phone calls from her mother; solitary meals of noodles shared with her pet rabbit and the scorn from colleagues at her dreary office job. Here, cinematographer Sean Porter’s controlled visual style serves up quiet, contemplative instances where the often still mis-en-scène of the frame is juxtaposed with the exaggerated sound design. We almost feel the tear of the fabric when Kumiko picks at a hole in her stocking in one close-up.

Interspersed throughout this are takes of Kumiko scanning through an old, glitchy VHS tape of Fargo, where she obsessively dissects the movie in order to fully comprehend the burial of the briefcase with money by Steve Buscemi’s character. When she finally flees with her boss’ credit card, the contrast is made clear: she is plucked straight from Tokyo and transported to wintry Minnesota, all awash in blues, greys and whites. Gone is the naturalistic warmth of her home city – Kumiko, in her vibrant red ‘hoodie’, is the sole, stubborn source of momentum behind the deluded mission. It is no coincidence that the ‘X’ marking the spot on her hand-sewn map (taken straight from a still frame in Fargo) is also red. She keeps her dream alive, even when the host of quirky Minnesota locals she meets do not seem to be able to aid her.

Rinko Kikuchi’s understated performance provides the necessary emotional authenticity needed to buy into the somewhat fantastical storyline. She imbues every moment with an intensity and self-awareness that suggests she knows exactly how ludicrous her mission is, but prefers it to the reality of her actual life.

Ultimately, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter elicits both feelings of elation and melancholy. Juggling the two expertly, the real treasure of the film does not have to be hunted down: it was right there on the screen, all along.

4/5

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter screens on Monday June 9 and Tuesday June 10, as part of Sydney Film Festival. For more info and tix, click here.

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