Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

Name: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Genre: Drama
Released: March 18, 2015
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 68

2015

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 36 Ratings

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Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

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Movie Details & Credits

Amplify | Release Date: March 18, 2015 | Not Rated

Summary: A lonely Japanese woman (Rinko Kikuchi) becomes convinced that a satchel of money buried and lost in a fictional film, is in fact, real. With a crudely drawn treasure map and limited preparation, she escapes her structured life in Tokyo and embarks on a foolhardy quest across the frozen tundra of Minnesota in search of her mythical fortune.

Director: David Zellner

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

Film.com David Ehrlich

Dec 19, 2014

The genius of Kikuchi’s performance is that – by the end – her slow descent into mania humanizes Kumiko precisely when it would have been so easy to reduce her into caricature. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Mar 25, 2015

It’s an enchanting work, heartbreaking yet wryly amusing. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Apr 4, 2015

It's Kikuchi who carries the film. She gives Kumko a sense of dignity and strength in the face of absurdity, and does so with few words. Read full review

Jesse Cataldo

Mar 13, 2015

It settles firmly into the perspective of a lost soul who finds solace in the swaddling security of fantasy. Read full review

Todd McCarthy

Jan 26, 2014

Kikuchi manages to make Kumiko interesting company no matter how far the character recedes into herself, using subtly expressive body language that would have been at home in silent movies to create a very strange self-imposed social outcast. Read full review

Empire David Parkinson

Feb 17, 2015

Rinko Kikuchi's superb core performance and some striking photography stand out in the latest feature from the Zellner Brothers. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Mar 17, 2015

There can hardly be a bigger waste of time than this piece of twee nonsense. Read full review

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User Reviews

zaghaft

Sep 15, 2015

This film is a beautiful portrait of humanity in our time through a woman with either destructive naivety or serious mental illness. It will likely either trigger empathy and thought within you or bore you to tears- depending on whether or not you are willing to accept its message. VisuallyThis film is a beautiful portrait of humanity in our time through a woman with either destructive naivety or serious mental illness. It will likely either trigger empathy and thought within you or bore you to tears- depending on whether or not you are willing to accept its message. Visually astounding, and profound.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

DawdlingPoet

Apr 10, 2022

This film has quite some charm to it. Its quirky, sweet and somewhat mysterious, with good cinematography. I liked the shots of the titular character seemingly on her own in a large wilderness in the US. I felt sorry for her and wondered what the full story was - quite why she believed theThis film has quite some charm to it. Its quirky, sweet and somewhat mysterious, with good cinematography. I liked the shots of the titular character seemingly on her own in a large wilderness in the US. I felt sorry for her and wondered what the full story was - quite why she believed the treasure from the film Fargo would be found in the same place in the US (I have seen the film Fargo but some time ago). I can't say I understood the whole plot as such but I really enjoyed the film for its sense of mystery, the childish innocence and naivety of the titular character and I liked the incidental music played towards the end. I thought the subtitles were lacking a bit at the start, with it seeming there was more dialogue than subtitles provided - it seemed as if I could only read some of the dialogue but still, I very much enjoyed the film overall. The ending may frustrate some people but then it may delight eithers - its hard to say and I don't want to provide spoilers, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it and I'd recommend it if you'd like to watch something a bit different and your ok with subtitles.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Brent_Marchant

Mar 30, 2015

A delightfully whimsical comedy-drama about having faith in one's dreams, no matter how off the map they might be. Exquisitely dry humor and Rinko Kikuchi's charming, deadpan, oddball performance make for one of the more esoterically funny films to have been released in quite some time. ThisA delightfully whimsical comedy-drama about having faith in one's dreams, no matter how off the map they might be. Exquisitely dry humor and Rinko Kikuchi's charming, deadpan, oddball performance make for one of the more esoterically funny films to have been released in quite some time. This one won't appeal to everyone, but those with an off-the-wall sense of humor will surely appreciate this one.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

DirigiblePulp

Mar 17, 2016

There's clearly something very wrong with Kumiko. She either has some kind of personality disorder or she's so singularly minded after a lifetime of being in the proverbial back, that she has willingly become so; a kind of conscious daftness.

Her journey is based on so much faith, and soThere's clearly something very wrong with Kumiko. She either has some kind of personality disorder or she's so singularly minded after a lifetime of being in the proverbial back, that she has willingly become so; a kind of conscious daftness.

Her journey is based on so much faith, and so fundamentally flawed, it works on a basic primal level; it's nearly impossible to find fault with it because it's so obviously bonkers. It's also all a dream. And as such, I'm not sure what this film is actually about. Devotion, perseverance in the face of adversity, being isolated and not wrong. I don't know. Anything applies but also not really.

You empathize with her, sympathize with her plight, but also want to give her a swift kick to the ass to wake her up.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

inaneswine

Nov 14, 2017

Kumiko requires a lot of post-film reflection, as one tries to figure out what the point of it all really was. On the whole, it seems to be a story about a confused, naive and depressed young woman on the search for a better life, or at least something different.

The slow opening of theKumiko requires a lot of post-film reflection, as one tries to figure out what the point of it all really was. On the whole, it seems to be a story about a confused, naive and depressed young woman on the search for a better life, or at least something different.

The slow opening of the film set in Tokyo does run on a little long, but once Kumiko arrives in America, we're treated to a lovely host of well-rounded characters that our titular character meets along her harsh journey through the freezing roads of Minnesota, beautiful imagery and an alluring performance from Kikuchi, not to mention the film's spot-on, deadpan comic timing.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

beingryanjude

May 2, 2015

Much like Kumiko's character, this treasure hunt will likely leave you feeling empty and hoping for a better world. It's overtly artsy atmosphere shrouds a superb lead performance from Rinko Kikuchi.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

DirkV

Apr 4, 2015

Oy. this was painful to sit through. There was no reason to root for or care about the mentally ill lead character. The continuity issues were copious and distracting. It was beautiful to look at, but not engaging at all.

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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