Rent Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (2005)
3.5 of 5 from 68 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Suzume Katakura is an ordinary housewife. Her husband has been sent overseas on business, and although he phones her regularly, he is more concerned with the health and welfare of his pet turtle. The days pass monotonously, it is as though no one pays her any attention, not even her husband. The ordinariness of he life is interrupted one day when she spots a flyer in a stairway advertising for spies. Intrigued, Suzume phones the number. Three days later she is instructed to go to a run down apartment. she is greeted by a man and woman, he is unemployed; she is a shopping mall announcer. They claim to be working for a foreign state, and just like Suzume they are ordinary people who lead ordinary lives. The couple persuade Suzume to become a secret agent too. They virtually force 5 million Yen on to Suzume, and so begins her life as a spy. - Actors:
- Juri Ueno, Yû Aoi, Ryô Iwamatsu, Eri Fuse, Jun Kaname, Masatô Ibu, Vincent Giry, Yasuhito Hida, Shunsuke Matsuoka, Yutaka Matsushige, Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Toshifumi Muramatsu, Yôichi Nukumizu, Nobuto Okamoto, Kyûsaku Shimada
- Directors:
- Satoshi Miki
- Writers:
- Satoshi Miki
- Aka:
- Kame wa igai to hayaku oyogu
- Studio:
- Third Window
- Genres:
- Comedy
- Countries:
- Japan
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Reviews (2) of Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers
A gentle comedy deeper than it looks. - Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers review by AM
A lovely absurd comedic idea. Beautiful filming, and acting bringing nuanced performances and
naturalistic Japanese care, delicacy and composition to a simple warm story. "Turtles"
touches on aspects of Japanese life and environment familiar as small town Japan
and reveals deeper aspects of Japanese character. The restaurants, fishing festival, the need to conform,
tiny living spaces, rural architecture and infrastructure found everywhere in Japan. This was filmed
at the end of the southern Tokyo Bay peninsula but could have been in Kyushu way down south or
Hokkaido in the north or even on any of the larger islands.
A little jewel for those who relish cultures as they appear to the people who live there.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Being Ordinary is not Ordinary.... - Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers review by Strovey
Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers is first and foremost a comedy but beneath that ‘wrapper’ the director and writer Satoshi Miki is trying to make comments about life in the city, the isolation that comes with this and the mundanity of being really ordinary. Bearing this in mind the targets have been hit more often than missed with Japanese stereotypes on full display.
The story, narrated by Suzume, is a series of sketches at times nonsensical and unconnected which can easily frustrate the unwary viewer, but Miki skilfully weaves throughout all the cartoonish action and set pieces the real message, what is normal? What is ordinary? Indeed, is it as desirable or undesirable as we can be led to believe?
Without doubt the laugh hits are higher than the misses, with some being genuinely ‘laugh out loud’ moments but the actors, and in particular Juri Ueno, are charming and good company, and mix in bright colours and ideas and you are getting a typical and non-typical Japanese comedy all at once. If you find that sentence confusing then you will get some idea how the film will leave you feeling.
The film is fun and joyful with some obvious parodies there to see (teen romance anyone?) and there could be less narration and more show throughout the runtime but with an obviously low budget the joyfulness of the wacky situations and characters should win over the most confused movie goer.
The trick is to relax and let Satoshi Miki’s weirdness flow over you, do not worry too much and enjoy the company of his band of fools.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.