Convenience Story

One of a pair of films by Satoshi Miki which screened at this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, and by far the stronger, this acutely observed, quirky tale of a bad deed which does not go unpunished begins with a fight. Kato (Ryo Narito) is at odds with girlfriend Zig-zag (Yuki Katayama) because she wants him to look after her dog, Cerberus, whilst she auditions for a role in a film. The dispute gets physical, in a playful way which emphasises the bond between the two of them, but Kato’s objection to dogsitting is real – he finds the good-natured beast a distraction from his writing as he tries to develop a screenplay which will change his destiny – and when Zig-zag gets the role, making it an ongoing arrangement, he decides to drive Cerberus out into the countryside and abandon him.

Or does he? Exactly what happens, and when, is complicated. Arguably it all begins when Kato goes out one night in search of Weredog food because Cerberus doesn’t want to eat anything else (it is a particularly impressive feat of canine acting to sit beside a full bowl and ignore it). An unexpected incident in the local convenience store, which will make a lot more sense later on, sets the tone, but viewers will need to pay attention to get to grips with the puzzle as a whole. meanwhile, the film’s emotional themes develop in the background, leading to a gut punch of an ending.

Perhaps it’s because of what happens to Cerberus, perhaps that’s just one factor, but Kato and Zig-zag’s relationship is coming apart at the seams. He’s easily distracted when he gets the chance to hook up with another woman, and unconcerned, besides, that the said woman is married. For her part, Zig-zag is embarking on an exciting new career – one which might be considered exploitative, as she agrees to partake in some grotesque acts, but which seems to open up a lot of opportunities where her future is concerned. It’s a future which might not have a lot of room for an unreliable boyfriend whose own ambitions only begin to bear fruit when he steals somebody else’s story – another dangerous choice. The name of the event is one of many clues scattered throughout the film, drawing on different traditions, pointing to an inescapable conclusion.

Much tighter and less purely whimsical than it looks on the surface, Convenience Story is an impressive piece of work. It hinges on Narito’s ability to keep the audience with him despite Kato’s moral failings and to play dumb some of the time without his actions losing credence. As he begins to understand himself a little over the course of the film, it’s easy to warm to him and to recognise his vulnerability, with escape options narrowing at every turn. It’s difficult to say more without spoilers, but this continually inventive little film is one you should try to catch for yourself.