Takeshi Kitano, who has been challenging standard cinematic style since his directorial debut, makes an attempt at a standard story this time, keeping away from the sophisticated depiction of violence, one of his cinematic signatures. This time, he presents a ′story of a journey in search of one′s mother′, which develops and ends as expected. This eloquent film, contrasted with the extremely reticent Hana-Bi, often draws us into tears, with laughter as its main spice.
Refusing to employ banal storytelling, Kitano makes a detour, avoiding cliche as he approaches the core of the story. As his previous films have revealed his characters′ innermost psychology through outbursts of violence, in Kikujiro he employs outbursts of laughter in a distinctive and forceful way. Kikujiro, a gigolo who acts like a former Yakuza, accompanies the journey of a 9-year-old boy named Masao in search of his mother during summer vacation. Kikujiro troubles Masao with his unexpected behavior, and sometimes totally ignores the boy, trying to make the best of the vacation as if it were his own. Gradually, however, he begins to care for Masao, whose situtation reminds him of his own, and they finally develop a father-and-son relationship, though they find it hard to express their feelings for each other. The journey, which they began without even knowing each other′s name, echoes in our hearts, letting us contemplate how relationships between people are constructed.