Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 7, 2022

Coincidence and serendipity tend to not always come across as intended in films and can in fact often seem like the cliché ridden resort of a less than artful screenwriter. The "quirks of fate" explored by writer and director Ryusuke Hamaguchi in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy are therefore kind of interesting in that they really don't come off as overly contrived, at least contextually. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is in reality a triptych weaving together three stories which may not have enough in common to make this a more traditional portmanteau, but which all offer some nicely understated performances and some at times rather provocative mises-en-scènes.

The first of the three vignettes is in essence a pretty rote tale of a ménage à trois, even if in this particular instance one of the two women involved isn't totally aware that the other woman and man are, or at least have been. This is a fascinating exercise in subtext, but also presentation, and in that regard, my wife offered a rather pithy statement as she watched the film with me. There's a rather long static shot (after some introductory setups) of what basically amounts to two women gabbing in the back of a cab that fills the first several minutes of the film, and my wife jokingly asked, "What is this, My Dinner with André , albeit with Japanese women in a taxi?" That trenchant observance (?) aside, this very shot is an interesting paradigm of what Hamaguchi can offer in this film, which is a reliance on some admittedly hoary plot machinations while also creating a naturalistic environment with some kind of subtle but intriguing stylistic flourishes.

That cab conversation is between Meiko (Kotone Furukawa) and Tsugumi (Hyunri), and involves Tsugumi's recent introduction to a mystery man with whom she felt an almost instant connection. It's soon revealed that the guy, Kazuaki (Ayumu Nakajima), has had a history with Meiko. This is in some ways an unsurprising depiction of two relationships in transition, the one between Meiko and Kazuaki ending, and the other between Tsugumi and Kazuaki beginning, and if there are no real surprises in the general arc of the narrative, things like that long, static shot of the two women talking in the back of the cab give this story a kind of vérité ambience that's quietly ingratiating.

The second story had the most opaque motives or at least relationship evolution to me of the three in this film. Sasaki (Shouma Kai) is a college student who desperately needs a passing grade in a French class in order to move on, rather hilariously given current events, as a professional news broadcaster. Sasaki's professor Segawa (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) is an apparently unfeeling martinet who isn't particularly moved by Sasaki's pleas (which involve him literally prostrating himself on the floor, groveling for a grade). Sasaki sets out on a mission of vengeance which ultimately includes his (married) girlfriend, Nao (Katsuki Mori). A kind of sordid scheme is hatched, which of course doesn't go anywhere near as planned, but that part of the narrative is actually well wrought and rather incisively presented. It's when things segue forward several years that I'm not sure that the relationship between Sasaki and Nao feels properly resolved.

The third vignette is a rather odd piece that involves an almost retro plot conceit that is kind of Y2K-ish (remember that supposed impending disaster?), in that the world's computers have all gone haywire, forcing people into "old fashioned" communication styles like, you know, actually talking to each other. The kind of odd thing about this supposed contextualizing is that in a way it's completely unnecessary to the actual narrative, which involves two middle aged women, Natsuko (Fusako Urabe) and Nana (Aoba Kawai), who reconnect at a school reunion after years of not having seen each other. It turns out that neither woman is who the other one thinks she is, but that almost provides more of a "cover" for the two to confront what might be termed their own midlife crises.

The back cover of this release touts that the film is "playfully inspired by life's tiny miracles", though some may quibble about how "playful" some of the plot dynamics presented really are. There are certainly quirks aplenty in the film, and if the situations aren't always very surprising, the interactions between the characters actually often are, and give this film its rather uniquely charming feeling.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. I haven't been able to track down any authoritative information on what cameras were utilized for this shoot, though the IMDb does list a 2K DI. This is a sharp and appealing looking digital capture that offers very nice detail levels throughout. The outdoor material in particular pops well, though the film really doesn't offer any "showy" moments in terms of production design or palette flourishes. The naturalistic ambience of the performances flows through to the cinematography by Yukiko Iioka, and, as mentioned above, there are a number of really interesting long takes in the film that allow the actors to really inhabit their performances. As can be seen in some the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, there's a tendency toward yellow lighting or grading at times that can slightly defeat fine detail levels. This is another Film Movement release that struck my eyes as being just a tad too bright at times, as if there were a slightly milky haze over the imagery, but even given that perceived deficit, this is a well detailed and problem free presentation.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in the original Japanese. This is a really talky enterprise, throughout all three vignettes, and as such surround activity tends to ebb and flow and also tends to be most noticeable in terms of ambient environmental effects. There's really not even that much music aside from a brief use of Robert Schumann piano music. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Ryusuke Hamaguchi (HD; 13:57) is moderated by Aiko Masubuchi. Masabuchi makes her introduction in English, and then the rest of the interview is in Japanese with English subtitles.


• The Chicken (HD; 13:13) is listed as a "bonus short film", and involves a Japanese immigrant in New York loathe to butcher the live chicken he bought for dinner. In both English and Japanese with English subtitles, as well as with some Japanese text which is also subtitled.


• Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Trailer (HD; 1:47)

As with most Film Movement releases, the disc also offers trailers for other releases from Film Movement as well as an About Film Movement option on the Main Menu which leads to text about and a trailer for Film Movement. In lieu of an insert booklet, this release contains a little text on the inside of the keepcase cover.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Whether rightly or wrongly, Japanese are often perceived to be emotionally tamped down, at least when compared to the more volatile denizens of the United States, and that lack of overt hyperbolic emotion may be a distancing factor here for some viewers. That said, the stories, while not always plying anything "new" or hugely unexpected, do deliver some truths about the human heart. "Meta" observers who like to pay attention to things like how Hamaguchi structures his shots will also find interest here. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements interesting. Recommended.