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- Movie: A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. and Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip
- Romaji: Ohkike no Tanoshii Ryoko
- Japanese: 大木家のたのしい旅行 新婚地獄篇
- Director: Ryuichi Honda
- Writer: Shiro Maeda (novel & screenplay)
- Producer: Akiko Sasaki
- Cinematographer:
- Release Date: May 14, 2011
- Runtime: 121 min.
- Genre: Comedy / Newlywed
- Distributor: Gaga Corporation
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©
Nobuyoshi Ooki (Yutaka Takenouchi) and Saki (Asami Mizukawa) are a newlywed couple, but have lived together for a lengthy time prior to their marriage. They move into their new home, but any sense of excitement between the couple seems to have evaporated. While unpacking, Nobuyoshi and Saki notice that their rice cooker is missing.
Not long afterwards, they go to a nearby market to buy some household items. Saki passes an odd looking man (Akira Emoto) who is wearing a soaked trench coat. She notices that the guy is trying to hide something and it looks like their missing rice cooker. Saki chases after the guy, but the guy disappears somewhere on the roof of the building. There's an old bathtub on the roof.
Saki goes back down the stairs and passes a fortuneteller booth. The fortuneteller (Kirin Kiki) asks Saki if she is looking for something and then hands her a poster advertising a trip to hell. Nobuyoshi and Saki become interested in the trip and the following day visit the fortuneteller shop. The couple signs up for the tour trip to hell for their honeymoon!
The newlywed couple prepare for a 1 night/2 day trip and go to the roof. There, Tajima (Hairi Katagiri) tells them the bathtub is the entrance to hell. The couple thinks its a joke, but Nobuyoshi puts his hand into the dirty water and soon he is drawn into the bathtub and disappears. Saki follows her husband.
The couple lands in hell and wander along a deserted road. An unidentified red man (Denden) attacks the couple, but they are saved by a pretty blue skinned girl named Yoshiko (Ai Hashimoto). They arrive at the hotel Iijimaya and there Iijima guides them, but the couple can't understand what Iijima is talking about.
What is going to happen to their honeymoon and will the couple ever be able to get the passion back in their lives?
Cast
Trailer
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Film Festivals
Q&A w. Ryuichi Honda (PiFan 2011)
Q&A took place after a screening of "A Honeymoon in Hell: Mr. and Mrs. Oki's Fabulous Trip" at the 2011 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival on July 15th. AsianMediaWiki editor Ki Mun was there and transcribed/translated the session.
- Moderator - Before the movie started you mentioned that you were curious how the audience would react to the movie.
- Ryuichi Honda - I think the movie is more difficult to understand than the typical comedy, but I was relieved that the audience here laughed at the same scenes as the Japanese audience. Actually, the audience here laughed even more than in Japan. Especially when the fortune teller and Iijima came out and they didn't do anything. I think the laughing points are the same to all people.
- Moderator - I know this movie is based on a novel written by Shiro Maeda. What made you turn that novel into a movie?
- Ryuichi Honda - Shiro Maeda wrote the novel and screenplay. The movie producer handed the novel and script to me. After I read it, which I enjoyed, I wanted to make the movie.
- Audience Question - During the movie the couple doesn't show enough affection. I felt that part was lacking.
- Ryuichi Honda - Before the couple married, they lived together for 7-8 years. When they got older they married. So they are not the kind of couple who shows a lot of affection. Rather, they are closer towards the end of the film when they go look for a rice cooker together. Maybe, after they go back home they become affectionate.
- Audience Question - I have two questions. The first question is actually from the Korean translator for this movie. The translator wants to know about the meaning of the kokeshi doll in the film and the 3 kids in hell. There's an old legend that when some people lived in poverty they killed their own children to eat. Is the kokeshi doll related to that? Maybe the 3 kids in the hell are related to the kokeshi doll? Second question concerns that fantasy aspect of the film. When depicting a fantasy, what is usually shown is something different from reality. But, in your fantasy world you show normal people everywhere with painted faces?
- Ryuichi Honda - There is a tradition that if somebody goes to the spa they buy a kokeshi doll as a souvenir. I just went with that and for the travel package you can buy the kokeshi doll. If I make a movie from my own script, I prefer movies totally different from reality and I like watching movies totally different from reality. This movie is about the change in relationship between a married couple as they go through hell. The movie focuses on the change of relationship aspect in hell, rather than showing hell with CG. Even though it is hell, the couple feels like they are travelling to a spa. I wanted to show this analogy. When the couple meets the 3 kids in hell they change. They at first feel like they are more like lovers, but they become to feel like they are family. I wanted to focus on this change from lovers to family.
- Audience Question - First question, in hell there are blue and red goblins. I'm curious if they came from the novel or from traditonal Japanese stories. Second question, when you shot the film, were there any funny stories about the actors working with paint on their faces?
- Ryuichi Honda - The novel has the blue and red goblins. The novel doesn't explain why they are there. Traditional Japanese stories also has blue and red goblins in hell. When I read that part I understood it from that angle. It's not a big deal painting the actor faces, but problems occurred with the paint getting on the actor's clothing. Especially in the case of Iijima who wears a white suite. The face paint got on the white clothes a lot. The person in charge of wardrobes suggested they wear aluminum foil wrapped clothing. But, that turned out to look strange. Eventually, we attached fur to their clothing and when the paint got on the fur we just swapped out the fur. That was the most difficult part. Also, the Hollywood film "Avatar" was released right before we started filming. I did worry people may think we got the idea for the red and blue goblins from that film, rather than the traditional Japanese stories.
- Audience Question - I think the butterfly in the movie has an important role. What's your take on the butterfly's role in the film? Another question, what do you want the audience to take away from the film?
- Ryuichi Honda - The butterfly can be explained like this, living people can't stay in hell for a prolong period and can't come and go to hell, but the butterfly can fly freely to our world and hell. People and the butterfly are getting closer to hell. In general, what I want the audience to take away is that the family is good. Even though the couple got married and shared a family name, they were like lovers. The couple went to hell and spent time happily with three kids. Like they were a family. Through that experience the couple realized the family is warm and good. I would like to send this message to you.
- Audience Question - Compared with the blue goblins, the red goblins have weak points. The blue globins maintain their humanity and live peacefully. The red goblins live like they are in hell. Are there any bad points about the blue goblins?
- Ryuichi Honda - Red goblins are instinctive, so they do whatever they want. The blue goblins are too considerate of other people. For example, Iijima did not want to go up the 22 floors with the couple, but he couldn't say no and instead kept asking if they really wanted him to go upstairs. That's the weak point for the blue goblins I think.
