Postman Blues

SABU's 1997 Japanese film opens with a postman bored of his life. Sawaki does his job mechanically and expects nothing. One day he delivers mail to Noguchi, an old schoolmate who is now in the yakuza and has just cut off his little finger. Sawaki sees the bloody finger, has a brief conversation and leaves. But that visit is under police surveillance, and he is suddenly taken for part of a drug ring. From there the film escalates a chain of misunderstandings, with SABU's familiar method working again. It begins as comedy, turns into a chase and ends unexpectedly sad. The balance between courage and absurdity is why it is counted among his best work of the period. Who it's for: viewers who like Japanese independent film and black comedy. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a consistent genre and a plot that behaves logically.