Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2009 - ‘Mushishi’

Katsuhiro Otomo is best known for his animation projects, including segments of the anthologies Memories, Neo-Tokyo and Robot Carnival, the feature narrative Steamboy and the renowned classic Akira. With Mushishi, he shifts gears with a lyrical, live-action adaptation of Yuki Urushibara's comic series of the same name. A mushishi is a sort of travelling shaman who employs remedies against different forms of mushi, spirit creatures that attack the human body, causing all manner of illnesses and disabilities. When we first meet Ginko, he stops at a lodge where several residents have mysteriously lost their hearing in one ear. The lodge-keeper also requests Ginko's help with her granddaughter, who is beset by mushi so intensely she has grown little horns. The mushishi's story alternates with that of Yoki, an orphaned boy who learns of the mushi from a mystical woman with striking grey hair very similar to Ginko's. Otomo takes his time with the story and utilizes beautiful camerawork and simple but captivating effects. After creating several blackly comic and action-based works that delve into scientific and technological concepts, he has summoned up a reverent mixture of characters, relationships and lore that make for a modest, quiet portrayal of pure fantasy.

Official Selection Sundance Film Festival

Information from the festival's website