Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Looking for Fargo in ‘Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter’

Cinema | April 26th, 2015

The erroneous report that a Tokyo office worker died near Detroit Lakes, Minn., in 2001, looking for money buried in the snow in Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Fargo” forms the basis of David and Nathan Zellner’s haunting, original “Kumiko the Treasure Hunter.”

Starring Rinko Kikuchi as the title character, the Zellner brothers’ movie projects a heady metanarrative that is as much a consideration of our relationship to cinema as it is an elegy for its (presumably) doomed protagonist.

Stitching together the real and the imagined so seamlessly that the viewer experiences the same kind of disequilibrium fogging the thoughts and actions of the deeply depressed Kumiko, the filmmakers stage an engrossing prologue in Japan, where Kumiko endures the derision of her coworkers and the consternation of her boss, who cannot understand why Kumiko hasn’t gotten married.

A dreamy seaside sequence imagines Kumiko uncovering a VHS copy of “Fargo.” Kumiko’s response – an obsessive study of the section ending with Buscemi’s character marking the loot’s position with a red ice scraper – stands in sharp contrast to the heroine’s painful interactions with friends and family.

In fact, Kumiko’s most fulfilling alliance appears to be the one she enjoys with her pet rabbit Bunzo, and the Zellners wring plenty of pathos and no small measure of black comedy from Kumiko’s attempt to part ways with her furry companion.

Following her arrival in Minneapolis, Kumiko meets a series of Coen-worthy locals, including Shirley Venard’s “Shogun”-endorsing host and David Zellner’s beyond-the-call-of-duty police officer (brother Nathan also has a small part as an airport evangelist). The Americans encountered by Kumiko are unfailingly helpful and earnest, leading some viewers to detect a whiff of filmmaker condescension. Just as many, however, will see what Scott Foundas calls “a humanist touch that allows everyone to maintain an elemental dignity.”

Prior to “Kumiko,” which is curiously punctuated “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” on the poster and in press materials (no comma in the onscreen title), the Konishi story had been explored by Paul Berczeller in his 25-minute nonfiction essay film “This Is a True Story,” an equally somber and meditative document with an agenda that ultimately differs from the fictionalized feature.

Berczeller carefully unpacks the details that gave rise to the original misunderstanding, communicating directly with the Bismarck police officers whose interactions with Konishi would lead to the unfortunate Telegraph headline “Cult film sparked hunt for a fortune.”

“Kumiko” is evocative of a number of fish-out-of-water road movies, but the feature to which it bears the most striking resemblance is “Stroszek,” Werner Herzog’s classic 1977 fable. Even though Kumiko’s own chairlift ride pays direct homage to the indelible image of Bruno S. and his frozen turkey, the Zellners also follow Herzog’s lead in their exploration of both internal and external “stranger in a strange land” displacement, isolation and mental chaos.

The conclusion of “Kumiko” might be more hopeful than the fiery finale of “Stroszek,” but both movies end with moments that genuinely honor and respect the harrowing journeys of their brave adventurers.

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions…

Friday, October 31, doors 8 p.m. show starts at 8:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe annual Aquarium Halloween Cover Show is back and it is stacked. And this time there are a limited amount of presale…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comThat old time religion, filled with love, is no longer good enough In the first “Inherit the Wind” movie about religion and evolution starring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly, the…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Now available on Amazon Prime following its world premiere last month as the opening night selection of the Toronto International Film Festival’s golden anniversary, “John Candy: I Like…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…