Kumiko requires a lot of post-film reflection, as one tries to figure out what the point of it all really was. On the whole, it seems to be a story about a confused, naive and depressed young woman on the search for a better life, or at least something different.
The slow opening of the film set in Tokyo does run on a little long, but once Kumiko arrives in America, we're treated to a lovely host of well-rounded characters that our titular character meets along her harsh journey through the freezing roads of Minnesota, beautiful imagery and an alluring performance from Kikuchi, not to mention the film's spot-on, deadpan comic timing.
The slow opening of the film set in Tokyo does run on a little long, but once Kumiko arrives in America, we're treated to a lovely host of well-rounded characters that our titular character meets along her harsh journey through the freezing roads of Minnesota, beautiful imagery and an alluring performance from Kikuchi, not to mention the film's spot-on, deadpan comic timing.