Fisshu sutôrî

A punk song with some very obscure lyrics ends up saving the world: a fishy story indeed, and in the beginning, I was afraid that 'Fish Story' would turn out as one of those wilfully bizarre Japanese films which seem to be driven by nothing more than the director's desire to make something odd, no matter how little sense it makes. But the idiosyncratic charm of Yoshihiro Nakamura's movie soon grows on you. An odd combination of low budget movie, comic book story and sci-fi, set over 40 years, it nonetheless feels surprisingly unforced, and the longer I watched it, the larger the smile on my face. I even liked the song.

I have to say, FISH STORY is a very strange film. It's a Japanese apocalyptic tale featuring four separate story lines that are woven together in such a way that'll have you scratching your head and trying to figure out how they all intertwine. It's all very low key, with zero sci-fi elements and an extremely slow pacing that's doubtless to put off plenty of viewers expecting something more, well, energetic.

However, something about this kept me watching. It's the sense of whimsy, perhaps, or the sheer long-winded shaggy-doggedness of the storytelling. The fact that the production values are high, the script is very funny, and the actors nail the characters, too. About halfway through, I relaxed a little when I realised I was enjoying what I was watching, and then I started having fun.

Things get better right up until the big reveal at the ending, which is so stupendously good that I can say, right here and right now, that FISH STORY features one of my favourite endings in a film, full stop. It's that good; a tremendous resolution, like that of THE SIXTH SENSE, that turns the whole film around and makes you realise that, actually, this is a great little film; unique and uniquely entertaining with it.

What the Fish!!! So I'd thought that it'll be somewhat of a chore to sit through almost two hours late into what's left of a Friday night with Fish Story, directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura and based on the novel by Kotaro Isaka. But I was utterly blown away, leaving me feet tapping and head bobbing all the way through to the end credits roll, and a smile plastered on my face all the way home. It's an Armageddon film done with pizazz and creative flair, and not to mention that dash of comedy and great music, that I'd feel is a hard act for the rest of the festival lineup to keep within touch for the Audience Choice. I know it's still early in the festival, but Fish Story has established itself as one of the best films I've watched this year, and one of the rare few that will likely give you that familiar fuzzy feeling after you've sat through an awesome film.

The story unveils itself in non-linear fashion, and somewhat like Sandcastle, has a little lingering mystery - a punk rock song that contains a minute's silence - to what it actually all means, which comes altogether as a climax when everything gets to show hand. It tackles that wonderment of how events in the past will inevitably shape what's to come in the future, even if it doesn't make sense in the present. And Nakamura takes this premise, and through the narrative structure enables the audience to experience just that. We're brought from timeline to timeline that at the point of presentation the scenes seem disparate to one another and don't make much sense, but contains enough in their individual segments to entertain.

Hinging on a song called Fish Story that's performed by a punk rock band called Gekirin, it's amazing just what this one song can do to carry the entire film, not only because it sounds great (those not into punk rock, I'd think you'd find it hard not to enjoy this, especially when the cast members go into overdrive in their performance), but has an intriguing story on how it got produced, that forms the bulk of the film. Like most songs that seem fated to fade into obscurity without proper promotional or marketing power or fans to ensure some longevity, or worst, a band that's being condemned as talentless and to be let go by their record company, little do the band members know that one day this song will just about save humankind.

And in that respect, with Japanese fantasy/sci-fi stories in a similar mould such as the Twentieth Century Boys trilogy, Fish Story tackles the same doomsday scenario, and that plot element of a song of hope yet unfulfilled and unexplained, in a succinct fashion that doesn't meander unnecessarily. Spanning almost 40 years, we're treated to one off stories such as a timid driver (Gaku Hamada, resembling a youthful looking Jackie Chan with that hairdo he spots) who finds some resolve to stand up for himself and for others after being told of a prophecy about saving the world, and another tale where a young cook onboard a ferry saving a schoolgirl (Mikako Tabe) and other passengers from gun totting hijackers. They're as disparate as they can get, and if you're wondering just what's going on when you see recurring characters or instances in each, I'd say to enjoy the moments crafted, from a tinge of horror to an all out action-adventure, before the payload at the end truly hits you.

All these and more, based upon the single introduction set in the year 2012, where the world is threatened by a comet on a collision course for Earth, and a group of strangers gathering in a niche music shop. It's 5 hours to impact, and the shopkeeper whips out the rare Fish Story vinyl record for them all to give a listen to, thinking that it's quite futile to head toward Mount Fuji to avoid an impending tsunami scenario, and of course hoping for a miracle to come from a country that on one hand is not expected, and on the other totally plausible for the maths and science experts it produces.

There are references to other Japanese icons such as Godzilla and Go-Rangers, and for fans of Hollywood films, you'll probably be able to identify the oh-so-funny references and cheeky dissing of films from The Karate Kid (not the Jackie Chan version though), and Michael Bay's Armageddon, in fact "quoting" the what-if scenario of having the nuclear bombs on the comet, but yet to be exploded because, well, of what happened to Bruce Willis. Some stories are played out in tongue-in-cheek fashion, and they complement one another really well, which of course makes the finale all the more fun, especially when everything starts to make sense, and goes the full circle.

In 1975, an unpopular punk band releases Fish Story. In 1982, a young man saves a young woman from a strange man. He listened to Fish Story before he saves. In 2009, a high school girl and chef meet on a ship. The ship is seajacked. In 2012, the limit of earth is 5 hours because of a comet. At a music shop, 2 men listen to Fish Story.

I am a fan of the original author of this film. I like coincidence which he writes. I had read the original book once before I watched the film. The story crosses several date. Therefore film is easier to understand than book. I was caught up in the scene which the story was related to the end. I could clear my head. The song, " if my loneliness is a fish…", is not far from my head. I think that the author is good at writing daily lives. I recommend everyone to watch the other films of the writer.

Japan 112m, Colour Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura; Cast: Vincent Giry, Gaku Hamada, Atsushi Itô, Kengo Kôra, Mirai Moriyama, Yoshihiro Nagata, Nao Ohmori, Mikako Tabe, Ken'ichi Takitô

It is 2012 and the world is about to end. An obscure Japanese punk song entitled Fish Story is possibly the only thing standing in the way of total annihilation of all life on the planet. The song, which includes a mysterious minute long break where the guitar solo should be, is cleverly interwoven into a number of intriguing stories throughout seven decades of seemingly disconnected events. As the end draws near, the stories are drawn together in spectacular fashion in the film's closing minutes. A brilliantly written, intelligent and charming multi-genre film, Fish Story is a tall tale brimming with fun, warmth and comedy that you will surely want to watch again, and again (Klaus Ming July 2013).