Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2011

©「サビ男サビ女」製作委員会

Lovers of Japanese film have seen quite a few omnibus efforts over the years, with 2008’s Tokyo standing out as a particularly bizarre and interesting example. Yet this film, drawing together some of Japan’s best comedic directors, tops even that three-part work. Approaching the surrealism of its predecessor, Sabi Otoko Sabi Onna ties together four stories of people searching for a spark in their lives. Yosuke Fujita (director of the brilliant Zen Zen Daijobu) leads off with “Hagemashi Girls,” an entertaining tale of a woman (Nanami Sakuraba) whose passion is to lead cheers—though not for sports teams. Rather, she finds common people and creates anthems to encourage them in everyday life. Tomoko Matsunashi’s “Boy? Meets Girl,” a Tootsie remake in a high-school setting, is perhaps the weakest of the bunch. My fav was Mipo O’s “Kureemu Nai To,” in which the 30-something Mayuko (Tomochika) returns home to find the electricity in her apartment turned off. When she finally gets a repairman to come over, their comedic and sly dialog is superb. Lastly, Gen Sekiguchi (Survive Style 5+) offers up “Sebiro Yashiki,” a quaint tale of a housewife who collects out-of-work salarymen to try and give them a fresh start. Overall, Sabi Otoko Sabi Onna is well worth a watch. (91 min)