Maybe mainstream Japanese cinema is just as formulaic and tired as Hollywood movies, I don’t know.  I don’t know if the Japanese movies they screen at Fantasia are typical for J-movies or if they are considered indie in their own country.  All I do know is that I loves me some J-cinema, based on the Fantasia fare I’ve seen.  Fine, Totally Fine is at its core a romantic comedy but it is unconventional and sweet and mellow in a way Hollywood romcoms never are.  There’s no bullshit like mistaken identity or other flub-up that needs to be fixed.  It’s just about people living their lives and being quietly attracted to one another in spite of their obliviousness.  No one changes in this movie, no one gets a makeover, no one has an epiphany, no one really grows or achieves much of anything even when they try to.  They just live and love and carry on.  And it’s all fucking hilarious.

[rating:40]