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‘The Gesuidouz’ Review: A Japanese Punk Band Finds Its Voice in a Sardonic Genre Comedy

Kenichi Ugana's deadpan, horror-themed comedy 'The Gesuidouz' is hyper-specific in its approach to universal ennui.

Kenichi Ugana ‘s “ The Gesuidouz ” is a delightful deadpan oddity about a Japanese punk group, whose 26-year-old lead singer Hanako ( Natsuko) is convinced she’ll be dead at 27, the same age as Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain. Natsuko translates Hanako’s despondent mood into reflections and refractions on feeling trapped in her skin; she seldom strays from the character’s icy stillness, though she reveals a stunning sense of warmth on occasion. All the while, Hanako and the other group members — played by a multi-ethnic ensemble comprising Leo Imamura, Yutaka Kyan, and Rocko Zevenbergen; the band’s name means “guesthouse” — speak to and acknowledge the camera, which is initially a stand-in for a specific journalist, who asks them questions at a particularly low and listless point.

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