Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

© Chris Ohlson

David Zellner
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter by David Zellner
USA 2014, Forum
© Chris Ohlson

Rinko Kikuchi
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter by David Zellner
USA 2014, Forum

Rinko Kikuchi
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter by David Zellner
USA 2014, Forum
The juddering, crackling video images tell us it’s a true story from the outset, even if what follows feels like a fairy tale: a woman in red called Kumiko walking along the shoreline in search of a cave. There lies what she seeks – the videotape from which the images are taken. Watching it back at her cramped Tokyo flat, what the film shows thus must have really taken place: a tale of violent deception in the harsh Minnesota winter, a man burying money in the snow, treasure just waiting to be found. For a treasure hunter like Kumiko, what better way of leaving all that awkward conversation, office drudgery and motherly nagging behind? Yet being a modern-day conquistador is not without sacrifice: there’s no place for a rabbit on this trip and North Dakota can be awfully cold. But it can’t be all that hard, can it? It’s a true story after all. Head to Fargo, cling on to the map and let no one lead you off-track…
The Zellner brothers make an auspicious return with their sense of the strange very much intact, playfully blending real life and fiction into a cautionary tale on the perils of imagination: how seductive it is to believe what we want to believe.
The Zellner brothers make an auspicious return with their sense of the strange very much intact, playfully blending real life and fiction into a cautionary tale on the perils of imagination: how seductive it is to believe what we want to believe.
World Sales
Kathy Morgan International
Additional information

Nathan Zellner, Chris Ohlson, David Zellner
The Zellner brothers wrote the script, David directed, Nathan produced; among others with Chris Ohlson.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter · Forum · Feb 08, 2014

David Zellner
The director of the film.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter · Forum · Feb 08, 2014