To watch this film about three patients from a fairly grim looking mental institution you have to suspend one belief: The belief is that all three can just leave without being detected. Once you get beyond that, and you should, you are left with a film that is oddly both ugly and beautiful. The three patients are Coco (the wonderful Chara), Tsumuji (the equally great Tadanobu Asano) and Satoru (Koichi Hashizume). They are sent to the institution for reasons you find out about eventually, and once they leave the film really expands into a somewhat atmospheric but beautifully shot film, with you watching these three supposedly crazy people interact with themselves and, in my favorite scene, a priest. The film is not long, only 65 minutes or so, but I was deeply affected about what these three young people are all about. So, get beyond my little caveat and watch the world with them. I think its a richly rewarding film about the frailty of life.
Review of Picnic
