Short film "Mr. Bubblegum" takes a funny look... at suicide

by Chris MaGee

Okay, let's get this straight right off the bat: suicide is a very serious matter. It's not something to make light of, or to get a laugh out of... unless you happen to be Shoh Kataoka. In that case you make what looks like a hilarious short film about a recently laid off salaryman (Koji Suzuki) who gets some unwanted help writing his suicide note from a school girl (Mamiko Funakoshi). This unlikely pairing meets in Kataoka's 13-minute comedy "Mr. Bubblegum" that Kevin Ouellette over at Nippon Cinema discovered shortly after its trailer was posted on YouTube. The producer's of the short, Nekome Films, look like they are based in Kyoto and have another film under their belts, a period comedy titled "Elephant Soup" that can bee seen on their YouTube Channel.

Here's hoping someone picks up one or both of these films soon. They look great. To share in my obviouss excitement head to Nippon Cinema to check out the trailer for "Mr. Bubblegum".