parknourie

It was bright, upbeat and I think the director Shinobu Yaguchi has mastered his style with this film. His films take closer look at certain jobs we take for granted and succeeds in creating a joyful comedy drama out of its everyday life. Wood Job! is about a high-school graduate giving forestry work a go to pass his time and finding joy in hard work and country life. Basically a fish out of water story with all the lessons and moral ticks. However, don't let the rather predictable plot put you off.

This film is fast paced, lots of things happen quickly, and hilarious from the beginning to end. Much of the work is done by Shôta Sometani whose comedic timing is impeccable and has the right face for the character. Even when he's smug, you just gotta love the guy. One moment he seemingly pulls his weight in his work but the next he's shrieking at something unexpected. The rest of the cast are excellent as well. Most memorable is Ito Hideaki who's manliest man (and very handsome) of them all and initially give our protagonist a hard time but eventually... you know it already.

It is a pleasant ride throughout. Comedy is not relied on dirty jokes but clear visual gags and quirky characters. This is one of the funniest films I've seen this year.