Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! About 20 minutes into Supermarket Woman (スーパーの女) I said to my husband, “I don’t care what happens after this point, I already know this is going to be one of my favorite movies.” And I was right! I watched this movie, written and directed by Juzo Itami (伊丹 十三), a few nights ago, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The premise is fairly simple: a local supermarket struggles to stay open after a big box competitor opens nearby. But, like my other favorite Itami movie Tampopo (タンポポ), there is a lot more going on than that. The characters have to confront issues dealing with craft & expertise, consumerism, food production, gender roles, dealing with the loss of a spouse, aging, friendship, romance, etc. Mixing genres and asking big philosophical questions, this movie is also hilarious and full of heart. The main pair made me laugh and cry (sometimes in the same scene) and left me with feeling hopeful in a way that’s hard to describe. It also made me think about the role supermarkets play in communities, something I hadn’t really given much thought to before. Basically, I liked it a lot! Check out the trailer if you’re interested.
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 🙂