This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!
Details
This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray. The limited edition slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.) was limited to 1,500 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.
Named after Yasujiro Ozu’s custom-made, tatami-level, crab-like tripod, Kani is a new home video label dedicated to leveling the gaze and furthering the understanding of Asian cinema in North America. Focused on genre-defying films, Kani aims to expand the canon, bolster up-and-coming filmmakers and reintroduce repertory classics in context. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line!
Takashi Uno (Yohta Kawase, RUBBER’S LOVER) wants little more from life than to play the bongo under the starlight. When his uncle passes, his freshly divorced cousin inherits their traditional country home and tasks the shy slacker with caring for it. Together with the town’s underdog grocer, the three revert to a joyful childhood dynamic. Leisurely BBQ (the cheapest beef!) and cup noodles, it’s all fun and games until a family from Tokyo led by an unhinged patriarch (screen veteran Kanji Tsuda, JU-ON: THE GRUDGE) and his enigmatic wife (Natsuki Mieda) manifest their desire to open a countryside café at all costs.
Tadashi Nagayama – a protégé of the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival since his 2017 Grand Prix-winning debut JOURNEY OF THE TORTOISE – baffles audience expectations at every turn with this mellow yet thoroughly eccentric pastoral comedy about the right to do nothing, Japan’s growing urban-rural divide, and the country’s ongoing nuclear anxieties.
directed by: Tadashi Nagayama starring: Yohta Kawase, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Mieda, Kazua Akieda, Tadahiro Tsuru, Shoichiro Tanigawa 2018 / 96 min / 1.78:1 / Japanese Stereo with English subtitles
Additional info:
Region Free Blu-ray
OUT FISHING (2021, 19MINS): NEW FEATURETTE INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR TADASHI NAGAYAMA, WRITER YURIKO SUZUKI AND ACTOR YOHTA KAWASE
MAKING OF BEING NATURAL: PUBLIC TALK AT K’S CINEMA (2019, 19MINS) FEATURETTE WITH DIRECTOR, SFX AND VFX TEAM
“A STORY OF FLOATING RADIUM” NEW WRITING ON BEING NATURAL BY MATHIEU LI-GOYETTE
JAPANESE THEATRICAL TRAILER
Inside sleeve artwork
English and Japanese SDH subtitles
Overall rating: 4.320513 / 5 from 78 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
Customers praise the excellent release, packaging, and film quality of 'Being Natural' by Kani. The film is described as great and wonderful, though opinions on the ending and comedic elements vary.
"It's a great package all around and a good way to watch this great movie." — Tyler K.
"Good movie with an excellent slipcover" — derek c.
Reviews
Naturally Delicious
"A great little exploration of what it means to exist in the modern world and how one can deal with it."
— Michael G. (5/5)
Being Natural is a gem!
"Another great find and restoration from Kani. Love the little extras in there— the sticker and the postcard. So cute! And then the disc design. . . I mean, how can you top that? The film itself is absolutely worth a watch, as well."
— Emily P. (5/5)
Beautiful
"Oh to be an artist and live the life of an artist"
— Scott D. (5/5)
Another great narrative from Tadashi Nagayama!
""Being Natural" is a great sample of the Japanese curio that combines social satire with slapstick aesthetics in the most entertaining fashion!"
— Adithya C. (5/5)
Good movie
"Good movie and interesting premise"
— James A. (4/5)
A Little Strange, but Why Shouldn't it Be.
"Got this movie because it was fairly cheap in the store. But it's a fairly slow and funny movie that has the wackiest ending I've ever seen. It can be a little boring at times, but keep watching, it's totally worth it."
— Tres L. (4/5)
When Two Worlds Collide
"A funny, engaging, and at times bonkers film. Seeing the worlds collide between 'all-natural' urbanites moving to a rural area is fun. Particularly, since the urban family is not shy about sharing there superior knowledge on natural living. An excellent transfer and packaging."
— Stephen P. (4/5)
The excellent trailer tells you that this movie has a secret. And you better believe it
"I watched this twice in a day, because I had to make sure I didn't just love this because of how absolute bonkers it gets in exactly the way that jives with me. And even though that sharp left turn is very different the second time around, I do think it is thematically concise and emotionally fulfilling. On top of being absolutely bonkers in exactly the way that jives with me. With the rural vs urban thing it's got going on, set in small a town whose nuances always fly above foreign viewers, it could've been alienating. And where I'm from, we don't have the nuclear trauma that plays a (for a foregner viewer) subtle role in Being Natural. But it's obviously human and universal in the ways that matter most."
— Andreas M. (5/5)
Great introduction to Kani
"Worth watching without much introduction. Recommended."
— matthew l. (5/5)
Great Film
"This film stuck with me. At first it’s a kind of Up like narrative around a guy who won’t move his house for the modern era but it got me in its interwoven and well played stories about folks in Japan and the beauty of the country. What is nature?"
— Terry B. (4/5)
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