Toad’s Oil
Director: Kôji Yakusho
Writer: Kôji Yakusho, Hideko Nakata & Urara
2009
Toad’s Oil is a beautiful film reflecting on life, death and honouring the memory of loved ones who have passed on. The film centers on the journey a father, Takuro (expertly played by Kôji Yakusho) must take after the unexpected death of his son, Takuya. With Takuro on his journey to find a final resting place for his son’s ashes, is Takuya’s childhood friend Saburo who has taken up residence in the family home. Rather than being overly dramatic and heavy, this film injects a lot of humour and awkwardness into the story so you have a very genuine and real portrayal of the characters. The conversations between Takuro and his son’s girlfriend, Hikari (whom he fails to tell about the death) are at the core of the story and it keeps the memory of Takuya alive as his father pretends to be him, rather than deal with the reality of the situation. Kôji Yakusho does a magnificent job as both actor and director and I cannot recommend this film enough. Oh, and the music used in Toad’s Oil has to be the most original, catchy and wonderful I’ve heard in a long time.
