Naisu no mori: The First Contact (Funky Forest: The First Contact) (2006)

79% of users liked it
(1,258 ratings)

Taste of Tea director Katsuhito Ishii collaborates with filmmakers Shinichiro Miki and Hajime Ishimine) for this outrageous collection of surreal, short attention span non-sequiturs largely revolving around Guitar Brother (Tadanobu Asano), his randy older sibling, and the pair's portly Caucasian… More Taste of Tea director Katsuhito Ishii collaborates with filmmakers Shinichiro Miki and Hajime Ishimine) for this outrageous collection of surreal, short attention span non-sequiturs largely revolving around Guitar Brother (Tadanobu Asano), his randy older sibling, and the pair's portly Caucasian brother. Dance numbers, pillow fights, animation, comedy, and science fiction all combine to create a unique and disorienting viewing experience featuring such highlights as an absurdist tribute to David Cronenberg, an ass-television, and a girl who fires lasers from her forehead in order to battle a floating space blob which emits spinning, spherical projectiles. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Katsuhito Ishii
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy, Special Interest

In Theaters: Oct 22, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Mar 18, 2008
Studio: Naisu no mori Seisaku Iinkai

Critic Reviews

V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Most of the sketches fall flat.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
There are Bollywood movie musicals that are shorter and more coherent.
Bill Gibron, DVDTalk.com
Brilliant to look at, impossible to understand, Funky Forest: The First Contact, is like a resume reel for a group of struggling, soon to be discovered underground artists.
Mark Rahner, Seattle Times
To describe the film might imbue it with a coherence to which it doesn't aspire.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tsubaki S

Being "random" doesn't equal being funny, creative or interesting. Let this movie be a lesson for anyone thinking "random" means good.
Greg S

Essentially, a set of absurdist short films from three different directors, sharing some of the same characters, arranged into a sort of surrealist SHORT CUTS. The experiment produces exactly what you would expect: a very mixed bag, with many segments that drag on and on and go… More
Essentially, a set of absurdist short films from three different directors, sharing some of the same characters, arranged into a sort of surrealist SHORT CUTS. The experiment produces exactly what you would expect: a very mixed bag, with many segments that drag on and on and go nowhere, and a sprinkling of truly delightful moments (most notably the musical numbers and the animation).
Lesley N

Ignore the synopsis on Flixster, this is a series of silly, strange or outright bizarre sketches by three Japanese directors, loosely linked by sharing the same actors/characters. It started off very badly indeed, then it grew on me and suddenly I found myself with a big grin on my… More
Ignore the synopsis on Flixster, this is a series of silly, strange or outright bizarre sketches by three Japanese directors, loosely linked by sharing the same actors/characters. It started off very badly indeed, then it grew on me and suddenly I found myself with a big grin on my face. A two minute intermission with countdown and music, more grins then bemusement, a WTF or two and then it finished. If you like those late-night alternative comedy TV sketches, Japnese humour or puzzling your friends , then definitely try this. If you lke conventional plots and punchlines, then don't. <img src="http://www.indie.student.virginia.edu/img/stills/s09/funkyforest.jpg"> .
Christopher B

Saw this one at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and it ranks up there along with Schizopolis and a midnight showing of Army of Darkness as my favourite theater experience. Surreal, hilarious, stylish and lots of fun, this is a perfect cult film with lots of opportunity for… More
Saw this one at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival and it ranks up there along with Schizopolis and a midnight showing of Army of Darkness as my favourite theater experience. Surreal, hilarious, stylish and lots of fun, this is a perfect cult film with lots of opportunity for audience interaction. As always Tadanobu Asano and Susumu Terajima (who is quickly becoming one of my favourite actors) were excellent.