Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

sashank_kini-1 Atama Yama is a Japanese short that takes not more than ten minutes to confuse the f*** out of the viewer. It talks about a stingy person who believes in saving everything he gets, and gulps down cherry seeds out of fallen cherries. A tree grows on his head, and is taken over by epicurean small/large men and women during spring, because of which he pulls out the tree. This creates a hole, into which water collects and people come for swimming, and so he blows his top. After this, he decides to look into the hole and the cycle repeats about ten times, each time the man getting smaller and smaller perhaps and then he dies.I think this is based on some Japanese fork lore and if it is, I surely haven't read it. As a short, it is very confusing as I didn't get the fundamental idea of the film. I think the ending denotes that the greed consumes the old man, but what about the cherry tree in spring, all the people and the water. I am still racking my brains but there's no answer popping up.The animation is authentic and traditional and I liked the sing-song way of narrating the story. But this is too abstract and needs some clues. The same thing happened to me after watching La Dolce Vita, which though is beautiful once you come to know the symbolisms, but is hard to decipher otherwise unless you can read the artist's mind or are going through similar times. I can state the same for Atama Yama. I hope at least stingy men can make something out of this short and learn a lesson otherwise this film would serve no purpose to its audience.My rating: 5/10

radonner This film is a little difficult to digest, much like the cherry pits consumed by the main character. I personally quite enjoy Japanese film, though as another commenter posted earlier, it can sometimes take some acclimation. And even I found this a little weird, though only for the story content itself.The animation is quite striking and well done, and I disagree with some comments that objected to the singsong style of the narrator throughout the story; for myself, the Japanese language lends itself well to this type of iteration (if you've been to Tokyo, think of the "Irasshimase!" that greets you when you enter a shop) and I thought it added to the authenticity of the story.The film probably comes across as weird and bizarre to some people, and for good reason: it is indeed a bit off kilter. But I don't think that's any reason to dismiss it. There is some clear talent here, and some very nice storytelling - and the ending had me laugh out loud, proving once again that comedy is 70% delivery.

Polaris_DiB I enjoy shorts like this, especially ones from different cultures, because they can basically go anywhere. I have to say I had no idea where this was going, and even after watching it twice I don't really see how the actions and situations related to the theme of "a stingy man." However, it's still visually very beautiful, and the storytelling style is very appealing.I think I wouldn't have minded hearing this short performed on a live stage or the like, with my own imagination to fill in the imagery. However, the imagery itself is what makes me enjoy this particular short so much, because stuff like the infinitum and the POV shot of eating cherries seemed so incredibly natural to the storytelling style, an organic extension of an already fun and silly story.--PolarisDiB

SamLowry81 I freely admit that I don't think I truly grasp it quite yet, but that does not prevent me from absolutely loving this piece. Contrary to some previous reviews, I absolutely love the sound effects. I thought the audio pitch when it switches to POV shots really envelope the viewer into the picture, particularly noting the cherry eating scene. The animation is stylistically rough, avoiding solid fills, but complements it's rough construction with soft pastel-like strokes. The deep earthy palette reinforces the connection between the man and nature. Don't expect a conventional animated piece (I.E. vibrant colors, hard edges, and a conspicuous theme). I absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it to any animation buffs or lovers of the unconventional film.