Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats (2014 Film)
Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats (Japanese: 福福荘の福ちゃん, Fukufukusou no Fukuchan) is a 2014 Japanese comedy-drama film directed and written by Yosuke Fujita. The film follows the life of Tatsuo Fukuda, known as Fuku-chan, a man living in the FukuFuku Flats apartment complex who struggles with a deep-seated fear of women stemming from a middle school experience involving his first love, Chiho Sugiura.
Production and Casting
A notable aspect of the production is the casting of comedian Miyuki Oshima, a member of the comedy trio Morisanchu, to portray the middle-aged male protagonist, Fuku-chan. The film was produced by Naoko Arai, Keiko Fujimura, and Adam Torel, with cinematography by Yoshihiro Ikeuchi.
Release and Reception
The film was released in Japan on November 8, 2014, and distributed by Phantom Film. It had a runtime of 111 minutes. Prior to its domestic release, the film was screened at several international film festivals, including the 16th Udine Far East Film Festival, the 14th Nippon Connection, the 13th New York Asian Film Festival, the 18th Fantasia Film Festival, and the 34th Hawaii International Film Festival. At the 18th Fantasia Film Festival, Miyuki Oshima received the Best Actress award for her performance.
Cast
The film features an ensemble cast including:
- Miyuki Oshima as Tatsuo Fukuda
- Asami Mizukawa as Chiho Sugiura
- YosiYosi Arakawa as Takuro Shimaki (Shimacchi)
- Tateto Serizawa as Norihiko Mabuchi
- Asato Iida as Akira Nonoshita
- Kami Hiraiwa as Yuko Shimoda
- Mei Kurokawa as Yoshimi Shimaki
- Maho Yamada as Katsuko Kasahara