Earlier tonight I saw Doppelganger by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, easily one of the best directors working in Japan today, and which starred Koji Yakusho, also one of the best actors in Japan right now. Doppelganer is part of the New York Asian Film Festival (which is also known as Asian Films Are Go!!!), which just started Friday night, and is being run by Subway Cinema.
And like all their events, I intend to soak in as much as possible. A primary reason has to do with Subway Cinema themselves; their MC (whom I believe is Grady Hendrix, also the guy responsible for writing all the awesome film synopsis on the site) always does a phenomenal job of hyping whatever film is on-hand, and tonight was no different. Hendrix (if that’s his name) described Doppelganger as “the best evil twin film ever made” and boy… he was
Yakusho plays a frustrated medical engineer who can’t seem to get his latest creation, a robot chair for the handicapped, together. So along comes a doppleganer who tries to help him out. As one might expect, the twin is the polar opposite of the original, who’s cold and reserved. And it’s the double’s recklessness and impulsiveness that gets on Yakusho’s nerves, and even costs him his job.
WARNING! MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD…
But the double is adamant when it comes to helping Yakusho, who must reluctantly play along, such as when the doppleganger steals the chair away from Yakusho’s former boss (and even has sex with his former assistant, much to Yakusho’s chagrin). Also, Yakusho ends up associating with a girl who’s brother recently killed himself, but who’s doppleganger has taken his place. She ends up becoming an aid to Yakusho’s efforts to complete the chair, but not before “accidentally” making out with the his double.
The one thing about this movie was that, for the most part, I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I absolutely love it when any film can do that. Granted, everyone was counting down to the inevitable violent confrontation, but I don’t thing anybody could have anticipated the wild road trip the film developed into at the end.
… OK, END OF SPOILERS
Doppleganger was completely amazing and is now my new fave Kiyoshi Kurosawa film. It’s playing one more time; next Saturday, the 26th, at 10pm, and I strongly recommend everyone catching this flick. Even if you don’t like evil twin stories, see it for the robot chair, which is pretty rad. That and the insane amount of times a person is hit in the head with a blunt object.
