The film by Hungarian director Karoy Uy Mesarosz “Lisa-Fox”, 2015, about which I read good reviews. The action takes place in some rather uncertain era, most likely somewhere in the 60s. A young woman, a nurse, works as a nurse for an elderly lady, the widow of the Japanese ambassador, has been working for many years, almost without leaving. During this time, she even learned Japanese and often listens to the songs of a Japanese singer who died a few years ago, whose ghost accompanies her everywhere, is in love with her and jealous of any invasion of her personal life that she would like to have. On the day of her thirtieth birthday, she receives a 2-hour leave and goes to Mecca Burger to enjoy an overseas delicacy, while the ghost organizes the death of the widow. With this death, as a result of which she, however, becomes the heiress of the apartment to the great displeasure of relatives, a series of deaths of potential "fiancés" begins, and she already loses any hope of getting rid of this curse, considering herself according to Japanese mythology, a kitsune - a fox, contacting which without true love, a man receives death. In the end, everything ends well, except for a few corpses in between. The idea is quite interesting, there is a kind of satire inherent in Hungarian comedies, but the incarnation seemed to me a little heavy-weight, slightly borrowed, I sometimes lacked pace. The director’s thought, apart from the events lying on the surface, is also not very clear, the slogan “The suitors only rival is death” – “The only rival of the beggar is death”, in this particular case or in general? Filmed well, it feels like the director had to deal with Japan - he shot commercials there and sometimes their style is also visible. The music, although it is plot and grounded, at the end I was a little annoyed, frankly. But don't listen to me, I'm a picky guy, the movie's a good movie to watch.
Just mind-blowing) This is the second night in a row!
The comedy of the absurd is “Lisa the Fox” by Hungarian director Karoy Uy Mesaros. If you are ready to laugh at the eternal and sublime theme of the search for a “prince on a white horse”, then here you go.
The search for love, death and innocence are the companions of the main character. As well as the Japanese legend of werewolf foxes, a deceased Japanese pop singer and a panopticum of disgusting suitors.
You can talk a lot about the meanings of the film, but everything will be a spoiler, it is better not to talk at all and enjoy the picture, well, and just an amazing soundtrack!
I’m not sure I would recommend the film to anyone, but those who like the absurd will certainly appreciate it.
About the indissolubility of love was written by Sasha Black in the story “First acquaintance”. Like, "Sentimentality"? Rather, I think, love; its large reserves remain unopened in the city, and then in a day you will see so much simple and clear - to which all the paths are already closed - that you unwittingly unpack and get out of the banks.
When love finds no way out, when it is locked in four walls and silly novels, it becomes a sentimental ghost of death. Tommy Tani, a Japanese pop singer who has long since died. If you look for love in his songs, in cookbooks for perverts and gluttony, in fashion magazines and television commercials, you will find yourself in the clutches of an ancient stupid curse that is not even known whether or not it exists. When you do not notice a soulmate who is in love with you, but turn your tail in search of some adventures and acquaintances, you become an easy prey of death, and everything around turns into ruins, and sakura turns into ashes.
Love is a terrible force, it can kill if it is wrongly and carelessly treated.
Same thing, if you're only looking for light entertainment or delicious food from a woman, you'll be blown off the roof by the ghost of Tommy Tano.
Death can be conquered only with a sincere and deep feeling, mutual. The curse can be lifted if a brave man falls in love with a fox and if she reciprocates him. And then there will be light and travel to Japan.
Absolutely stunning movie, magical soundtrack and charming Monica Balshai.
The Hungarians made a film in the style of “Amelie opposite”. Good girl Lisa in honor of her 30th birthday decides to meet fate with open arms. In her light, men immediately begin to fly moths. And they die one by one. If Lisa had read European books, she would have recognized the traits of Trickster. But the girl, due to circumstances, was fond of Japanese fairy tales, and therefore considered the features of Kitsune - a werewolf fox. Now, whoever falls in love with her is doomed!
The Japanese believe that Kitsune is a beautiful liar who sends men to the next world with their charms. At risk are overly proud samurai, greedy traders and even simple boasters. All these characters will appear in the way of Lisa with abundance. And even the Angel of Death himself, or someone like him, will be fascinated by Hungarian Kitsune. In a word, intrigue!
A story filled with black humor, subtle irony and high romance could be a national masterpiece. It seems that everything is in its place: the main character from the people, funny and colorful secondary characters, a brave knight (though without a horse) and even a harsh raid of mysticism. But there is no between the individual fragments of the secret alloy that translates a funny movie into a cult category. Jean-Pierre Jeunet knows the secret formula. Karay Ui Mesaros - No.
By the way, there are two main types of Kitsune: Moyobu is considered a benevolent spirit, Nogitsune is a malevolent being. But for Lisa to understand the subtleties, she would need a master Yoda.
7 out of 10
A romantic musical comedy with elements of absurdity and black humor.
The main character is Lisa, a sweet and dreamy girl, a lover of Japanese novels and a dreamer of love, whose only friend is the ghost of Japanese pop star Tommy Tanya, who is jealous of her boyfriends.
Before us is the debut full-length film of the Hungarian director Karoy Uy Mesaros, shot with a huge imagination, which turned out to be bright and colorful, fabulous and stylish, atmospheric and very musical, with an interesting and original plot, colorful and memorable characters reminiscent of both "Amelie" and "Delicates", immortal creations Gene and Caro > >>>.
The film combines many different genres: a romantic comedy with elements of a musical, a detective, but rather a parody of it with elements of absurdity and black humor, plus retro stylization under 50-60 years, with oriental color and folklore, this is a cocktail that you need to take carefully and only true movie gourmets, to interfere but not stir...
It is also worth noting the sweet and charming actress who played the main role - Monica Balshai and her cinematic reincarnation on the screen, who tries on several completely different images for the film and watched it was one pleasure and still memorable bright musical accompaniment that affects the mood and atmosphere of the film.
I recommend watching.
The tail of foxes flickered.
I have no peace now.
I look forward to it every night.
Tamba Syurayuki
Lisa, a woman with a young soul, has been caring for paralyzed and asthmatic Martha, the wife of the deceased Japanese ambassador, for twelve years. Martha taught Lisa Japanese. And with him in her life entered and read to the holes cheap Japanese love novel, filled a stingy existence with dreams of bright real love. At first sight and forever. And it is quite natural that behind the image of an inconspicuous mouse with two blond pigtails, there is a real treasure. But you have to be able to recognize it. In the meantime, while doing routine daily work, Lisa talks, sings and dances charmingly with her imaginary friend, Tomi Tani, a Japanese rock and roll star who died a few years ago. He not only brightens up lonely days, but, as it turns out, will play a fatal role in the fate of a modest nurse.
It happened in Hungary a long time ago. On Lisa's thirtieth birthday. Then fashionable women's magazines had just begun to penetrate the country, and the banal Mecca burger seemed the limit of gastronomic dreams. But that's not what the movie is about. It is about how at all times it is difficult to consider the magic of love and believe in it, real and therefore doubly beautiful. In each new acquaintance, Lisa tries to guess the one in order to immediately "lose herself in his eyes." With each new man, hope and joy are replaced by sorrow, bewilderment, and most importantly, somewhere inside, deep, there is a feeling that it is not He. Maybe the one we need is Henrik, Aunt Martha's nephew, who calls her Skinny. Cavaliers tragically die one after another, leaving only silhouettes on the floor in memory of themselves, and the girl is shackled by fear - she is cursed, she became a kitsune - a werewolf-fox.
And the mischievous fox tail will really flash on screen one day. But the most amazing thing is that it is invisible everywhere. It appears the shadow of the fox muzzle, amusingly clicked jaw on a faded wall, then the vague outline of a fluffy head with a sharp nose in divorces on the ceiling. He is guessed in the timid soft plastic of Lisa, who felt her attraction. In the turn of her head, a sudden desire to hide her eyes, and her whole self, from the interlocutor. This fiery tail is visible in the subtle interweaving of Japanese mythology and worldview with Western culture, in the mixing of genres - musical and cinematic. Like the director Karoi Ui Mesaros, he showed the features of kitsune and he decided to mischief and add to the romantic adventures of varying degrees of seriousness and just jokes towards human beings a little pepper and deceptive vampirism. In this special theme for the European picture, Mesaros pushes space and time and, without using any jazz melody, swings so that it is breathtaking. “Anything that doesn’t have swing makes no sense.”
The director placed clues-keys, unobtrusively recreating the atmosphere of penetration of Japanese culture into the rhythm of European life. Some allusions have a subtle connection with traditions and mores, made easily and gracefully, as a matter of course. Others are more explicit, but usually in contrast or grotesque form. In the fervent pop singer Tomi, it is easy to guess the sinigami - the god of death. As in The Dark Butler, he collects the souls of the dead, but here he is in love and can be fun and funny, very cunning and mysteriously evil, changeable like a kitsune. And the misadventures of Sergeant Zoltan, who closely investigates the chain of deaths and follows Lisa, make you remember the plot of the film by Francis Weber “Unlucky”, but with a touch of quirkiness of Jeunet and a little black humor. Aesthetically, Kobayashi splashes blood during a tracheotomy while trying to save one of the hapless suitors, and in another episode she falls a romantic drop on her cheek. It will appear as a scarlet spot on a white gauze bandage on the head of the unlucky Zoltan, as if predicting that the rest of his life is firmly connected with the country of the Rising Sun and he is doomed to walk forever in the collar of Shanz.
The film balances between reality and sleep, prose and lyrical dreams. And on this shaky verge, when illusions crumble together with petals in the cherry garden, and with them life slowly and painlessly begins to go away, only a real hero will be able to break through the director's slow-mo with many obstacles to the rhythms of the Finnish "Frozen Rain" with many obstacles for the sake of the one who suddenly quietly says: "Ohayo: Gozaimas" - so gentle and intimate that it replaces any declaration of love. And from the flower garden on the balcony now two worms-multipedes will try to penetrate the human world and, invisible ubiquitous fox will hide its tail, but ... it will appear again - because kitsune can not help but mischief and for a loved one can even sing a Finnish polish ... That's the story. If this is not true, why do you dream?
The young director presented the project “Lise-Fox” during the Cannes program Cinefondation Atelier – 2010, but it turned out to be realized only after four years of walking through the torments. This lengthy process, despite the resulting solid dividends in the form of victories at Fantasporto 2015, Madrid and Seattle, did not really play a good role in the integrity of the structure of the picture. The original playful comedy grew to a fantastic vaudeville with elements of burlesque detective, Japanese musical, black humor and literally ten seconds of not weak horror. Apparently, in the four years of production, Mesharos had a huge number of big ideas and many small insights, which he all tried to fit in a ninety-minute timekeeping, so that in the end, the direct plot of the original theatrical play about the mysterious deaths accompanying an ordinary inconspicuous girl, overgrown with so many outer layers that it is difficult to find the main idea.
His experience as a director of commercials in Japan, Karol used to frame the film in traditional colors, costumes and myths for this country. From there came the pop music of the sixties, a big fan of which is the author of the film. Examples for role models from the world of cinema were the paintings of Buñuel and especially Jean-Pierre Jeunet, whose characters magically spoke Hungarian, but remained the same “out of this world” citizens of their own eccentric universe. The parallels with the film “Amelie” and “Delicates” can be traced very clearly and not in favor of the painting by Mecharos. It is also worth mentioning the two main locations of the film - an apartment building with high "Stalin" ceilings, where all the murders occur, and a burger cafe nearby, where these murders originate. The events of the “Lisa-Fox” unfold in the 70s of the last century, on the face of economic and political stagnation, but from the West the first sprouts of capitalism in the form of bourgeois magazines and the first fast food establishments are already breaking through. If we paraphrase a well-known saying in the spirit of this picture, we get approximately the following: that a fat American is good, then a Hungarian is dead.
Finally, about the main jewel of the film: Monica Balshai. The Hungarian actress, previously known exclusively in her homeland, perfectly fit into the eclectic structure of the film, which was also marked by the prize for best actress Fantasporto. Mesharos later admitted that many episodes of Lisa Fox were born on the set during rehearsals with the actress, who almost single-handedly drew this film, trying on the images of a timid provincial virgin, a mysterious Japanese witch, the main suspect in a series of brutal murders and the beloved Angel of Death.