Most reviewers seem to prefer the second half of the movie over the first. In it, we see Kumiko in the United States and her isolation and inability to properly understand others doesn't seem quite certain. Does Kumiko really not understand much English? Or are we only supposed to believe it?
Right after she lands, she is approached by a religious group. As soon as she knows that those guys aren't going to help her to reach her one goal (to get to Fargo and find her treasure), she leaves. The same thing happens with other people she meets. She is focused and driven by her wish to find the treasure and one might wonder if the treasure isn't more of a metaphor for something else.
I for one actually liked the first half. I spent a few months in Tokyo and although it is a great city with friendly people, I couldn't help but feel a certain isolation and loneliness, even though I was living with my girlfriend at the time. I can somewhat imagine what it must be like for Kumiko to live there. The Japanese society is a harsh and demanding one. Everyone has their place and function. This can come in handy, as people don't require to be very responsible or make a lot of tough choices, society or work will do that for you.
But for an illness such as depression, living in Tokyo or a similar city is hell. Society will consider you as lazy or a failure and for yourself, it will be soulcrushing and tiresome to go through all the motions and fake niceties that exist. From what I've seen, Japanese can be quite harsh with other people, although they carry a smile.
For someone like Kumiko, this might explain why she comes off as selfish by some reviewers. In Japan, she has little choice (and what little freedom or choice she does get, like not accepting her friends number or bailing on her or disposing of some tuxedos) and people judge her (at the office, her mom) or pity her at best (at the library).
In the US, she has no cultural restrictions. She can be "selfish" and pursue what she actually wants. Back in Japan, no one can understand that.
So to me, this pursuit of a treasure is much more a pursuit of being an individual, someone who may not fit into the expectations of others. And is it any wonder that the few creatures who really get to her are unselfish, sincere beings, such as her bunny or the policeman, who seemingly have no expectations and just let her be Kumiko?
Right after she lands, she is approached by a religious group. As soon as she knows that those guys aren't going to help her to reach her one goal (to get to Fargo and find her treasure), she leaves. The same thing happens with other people she meets. She is focused and driven by her wish to find the treasure and one might wonder if the treasure isn't more of a metaphor for something else.
I for one actually liked the first half. I spent a few months in Tokyo and although it is a great city with friendly people, I couldn't help but feel a certain isolation and loneliness, even though I was living with my girlfriend at the time. I can somewhat imagine what it must be like for Kumiko to live there. The Japanese society is a harsh and demanding one. Everyone has their place and function. This can come in handy, as people don't require to be very responsible or make a lot of tough choices, society or work will do that for you.
But for an illness such as depression, living in Tokyo or a similar city is hell. Society will consider you as lazy or a failure and for yourself, it will be soulcrushing and tiresome to go through all the motions and fake niceties that exist. From what I've seen, Japanese can be quite harsh with other people, although they carry a smile.
For someone like Kumiko, this might explain why she comes off as selfish by some reviewers. In Japan, she has little choice (and what little freedom or choice she does get, like not accepting her friends number or bailing on her or disposing of some tuxedos) and people judge her (at the office, her mom) or pity her at best (at the library).
In the US, she has no cultural restrictions. She can be "selfish" and pursue what she actually wants. Back in Japan, no one can understand that.
So to me, this pursuit of a treasure is much more a pursuit of being an individual, someone who may not fit into the expectations of others. And is it any wonder that the few creatures who really get to her are unselfish, sincere beings, such as her bunny or the policeman, who seemingly have no expectations and just let her be Kumiko?