To The Ends of The Earth

Reviewed by Christian Waters at AFI 2019

This is a quirky story about foreign person in a strange

land. A story told many times before. Even though basic plot may be overused, it is told from the unique perspective of Kiyoshi Kurosawa.                                                                                                                                                       A Japanese film crew working for a travel show goes to Uzbekistan to celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations. Yoko, played by J pop star Atusko Maeda, is the main protagonist and reporter for this oddly assembled group. With great professionalism Yoko reluctantly preforms as strange tasks for the camera. Once eating raw rice from a local vender and proclaiming its greatness, another scene has Yoko riding a roller coaster to sickness and quickly smiling, laughing, than spinning a yarn of great fun.

The beauty of rural Uzbekistan capitates the mind. The film shows the vastness and undeveloped nature of this beautiful land. Even though the movie was slow in parts, overall the story line moved though the ups and downs gracefully. There are moving moments where language it transcended and words are unnecessary. You can find a real understanding in common experience. Kiyoshi Kurosawa has the ablity to take you there, put you in a young woman’s shoes, and exit the theater knowing what it is to a stranger in a strange land.