Marc Marriott directs this independent film scripted by Dave Boyle and Ayako Fujitani about Japanese corporate turnaround artist Hideki Sakai (Arata Iura), an expert in fixing money-hemorrhaging businesses any way possible. When he’s tasked with turning around a Montana cattle ranch owned by Peg (Robin Weigert), he thinks he has the answer in wagyu beef, but cultural differences soon prove to be more than challenging. (118 min.)
Glen Hideki thinks he has all the answers. When he shows up in Montana to make an insolvent ranch profitable, he approaches it in the only way he knows how: his way. The classic fish out-of-water tale is all about a man who won’t listen and learn from the people he’s there to help. He’s like a colonist who thinks he’s going to save the savages from themselves. With the help of ranch hand Javier (Goya Robles), however, he begins to see the beauty of the ranch and realizes it’s more important to save what’s here rather than reinvent it in his image. The problem is his boss, Keiko (co-writer Fujitani), thinks he’s not working fast enough, and she’s ready to sell the land to developers. To complicate matters, Keiko is also his fiancée, and she’s none too happy about Hideki turning soft. When he cancels his flight home to Japan, she heads to Montana herself to deliver her ultimatum. This is the sort of tender, emotional story that Hollywood simply can’t make anymore. Score one for independent filmmaking!
Anna This film is also an ode to the beauty of Montana. The scenery is a rich, captivating landscape. Fish out of water is right, but Hideki soon finds ways to endear himself to the locals—he learns to drink beer despite not being a drinker, he switches out his salaryman suit for rodeo gear after a wardrobe mishap, and he starts to listen to the locals whose livelihoods are at stake. The relationship between Keiko and Hideki is a complicated one. Playing both boss and partner is a tricky situation, and Keiko can sense that Hideki’s mission has shifted from when he left home. This film is a testament to the idea that you can have the best laid plans, but to truly succeed, you must be able to bend.
Glen Hideki learns perhaps the most important lesson of all, which is to ask Keiko what she wants. When you think you know everything already, it’s hard to realize how to make your relationship work. The couple’s long engagement is stuck in a rut, and the stunning, expansive Montana landscape opens their eyes to what’s important. This sweet, deeply disarming story of personal growth won Best Narrative Feature at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival this year, not to mention awards at the Tallgrass, Boston, Sedona, and St. Louis International Film Festivals. Iura—in his U.S. film debut (he’s appeared in dozens of Japanese films and TV series)—shines as Hideki, delivering a warm performance. In one scene, he attends a quinceañera and breaks down in tears as the 15-year-old’s father toasts his now adult daughter’s birthday. The speech isn’t translated, but like this film and Irua’s performance, you don’t need to understand all the words to be stirred. It’s a beautiful film in every way.
Anna The film has a unique beauty, a slow simmer of sweetness that doesn’t slather on the sap but instead presents true authenticity. My favorite element is Hideki and Javier’s budding friendship. The two come from very different worlds but share the same values—and values are what allow humans to relate. Tender, earnest, and subtle, Tokyo Cowboy is worth seeking out. Δ
Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.