Ramblers (2003)

Low budget but well acted and well shot and edited

Ramblers is a low budget road movie. Tsuboi, a screenwriter, and Kinoshita, a director, were supposed to supposed to meet up with a mutual friend, Funaki, out in the sticks for a vacation, but he overslept and did not make the train. The two quickly decide to go on without him, occasionally checking in with Funaki to see if he's going to join him. The two are pretty much stangers at the start of the trip, and the thought that Funaki might still make it is more of a Waiting For Godot situation. Nevertheless, they find their way between various scenic spots, ryokans and onsens in the area and have encounters along the way.

The point of this indie film is more about the film-making and showing off the skills of director Yamashita Atsuhiro on the film festival circuit. It's not quite a Dogme 95 film, but seems to rely on available light and on-scene sound with plenty of ambient noise. There are some interesting shots, and some fun set pieces with fix cameras and characters wandering in and out of frame.

Other than that, it's almost entirely free of plot. Nevertheless, the acting is good and there are some surprises and cringe humor to maintain your interest. The largest segment of the film has the two encountering a young mysterious woman (played by Ono Michiko) alone on a beach, and then sharing their adventure with her for a bit. In the end the two run out of cash, but have established a professional relationship by the time they have to head home.

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