WHAT if you travelled forward in time, but arrived in a place that looks just like your world?
That's what happens to samurai Kosaka Shinzaemon (Makiya Yameguchi) in Junichi Yasuda's 2024 action-comedy, 'A Samurai in Time'.
Kosaka is a samurai of the Aizu clan in the late Edo period and is doing his job of fighting his superiors' foes when a lightning storm interrupts his swordwork.
Knocked out, he wakes up to find himself in what looks like the same Kyoto in the same period.
But then he starts to see people dressed in strange clothes and odd items like cars, buses, cameras and explosives all around him.
The storm has projected him 140 years into the future and it is his luck that he happens to find himself on the set of a "jidaigeki" (period drama) television movie.
He is taken in by a generous couple who run the local Saikyoji Temple, and he also befriends the sweet assistant director of the TV show, Yuko Yamamoto (Yuno Sakura).
The chief priest (Yoshiharu Fukuda) and his wife, Setsuko (Ichiko Kurenai), not only provide a room but also feed Kosaka every day.
They support him every step of his career and are generally concerned for him.
Although the period drama style of TV is dying out, there are still a few fans left, and Yuko's production company is in need of stunt swordsmen, especially if they are adept at choreographed fighting.
Yuko dreams of becoming a film director, and Kosaka's talent and hard work on the set inspire her to continue writing.
Kosaka uses his skills as an actual samurai to become a stuntman and quickly makes a name for himself as a talented actor.
Everyone that Kosaka comes in contact with is incredibly nice and respectful.
Even the ronin that Kosaka was facing in the past, Hikokuro Yamagata (Norimasa Fuke), shows respect to Kosaka despite them dueling to death previously.
There is an incredible plot device involving Hikokuro, his relationship to the jidaigeki genre, and how the time-travelling journey affected him.
Kosaka and Hikokuro have a rival relationship.
They are constantly competing with Hikokuro wanting to adopt the modern way of moving on from the past and starting afresh.
Kosaka cannot let go of the past and still has a burning desire to be a shining example of the Aizu clan.
Much of the action is overdramatic but entertaining.
Jidaigeki is essentially the Japanese equivalent of an old Western where blood is little while the way warrior swordsmen die on screen is like a well-executed dance.
Kosaka's stuntman journey may be mostly funny but it does move us to tears at times.
Kosaka cries with happiness while eating a strawberry sponge cake and watching TV, experiencing sensations he previously could not imagine.
Ordinary things, like a vacuum cleaner are scary to him, even though he was literally fighting for his life in his previous environment.
If you are looking for an action movie with excellent sword fights and impressive showmanship, this is not your film.
There is some of that, but it is more of a human interest story about what it means to find your place in the world, how to hold on to your identity in a changing world, and how to let go of what is less important.
There are several twists that were completely unexpected and the story ends with a burst of laughter.
As a bonus, it delivers an ending that leaves everybody in stitches.
Every relationship our hero has made throughout the film, every emotion he has experienced in the modern day, and his career in the film industry all lead to his past destiny or "eventual duel" with his nemesis.
It is a "will they or won't they" and it delivers.
'A Samurai in Time' is one of the most heartwarming time-travelling films of late.
The characters are well-written and we become fully interested in the story.
It is a masterpiece by Junichi Yasuda who writes, directs, produces, and does the cinematography and visual effects for the film.
His comedy film is surprisingly heartfelt, he has crafted a heartwarming film full of kindness, integrity, and purely delightful entertainment.
'A Samurai in Time' is one of the 13 films that will be screened at selected GSC Cinemas nationwide during the 2024 Japanese Film Festival (JFF2024) from Sept 12 to Oct 20.
The diverse line-up, comprising dramas, animation, romance, thriller and science-fiction fare, includes 'Godzilla Minus One', 'Akira', 'Sand Land', 'To Mom With Love', 'Masked Hearts', 'Mom, Is That You?', 'Matched', 'All The Long Nights', 'Let's Go Karaoke', 'Our Secret Diary' and 'One Second Ahead, One Second Behind'.
Tickets for the festival are priced at RM10 (except for 'A Samurai in Time', which will be sold at prevailing prices) and are available at GSC.
The films will be screened in the Klang Valley from Sept 12 to 18 at GSC Mid Valley in Kuala Lumpur, GSC 1 Utama in Petaling Jaya, and Aurum at The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur.
They will also be screened at GSC Gurney Plaza in George Town, Penang, from Oct 19 to 22, GSC Paradigm Mall in Johor Baru, Johor, from Sept 26 to 29, GSC CityOne Megamall in Kuching, Sarawak from Oct 10 to 13, and GSC Suria Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from Oct 17 to 20.
For a complete list of film synopsis, showtimes and additional information, visit JFKL's social media platforms and www.gsc.com.my.