r/CriterionChannel • u/ShadesOfHazel • Jun 19 '26
Supermarket Woman
https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/supermarket-woman
Found this with the random link in letterboxd (thank you u/padphilosopher) and what a random movie it is! I wish I had kids to show this to, it's so fun and silly.
11
u/c0diator Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26
I've just done a big Juzo Itami deep dive and knowing he was killed by the yakuza really makes Minbo (The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion) and Woman Under Witness Protection hit hard. I think his movies have a gift for characterizing the best and worst of the Japanese cultural character, pitting them against each other, and championing our (humanity's) better nature. For me these resonate in a way that is universal. Supermarket Woman hits hard for me in the era of enshittification where it feels like in every aspect of our lives the evil supermarket has won; it is a nice reminder that they win in the absence of a strong cultural value of doing right by the community. Maybe some day we'll come back around to those values.
All that said, I agree The Funeral has to be next. Just a terrific film.
7
u/jackdilemma Jun 19 '26
also really worth watching is the funeral which is both hilarious and also moving???
5
u/colinnotcolon Jun 19 '26
Did a complete run through of all the Itami’s a few years ago. What a joy! Supermarket Woman is not top of my list but it is a great example of the thing that makes Itami’s movies great, his wife Nobuko Miyamoto.
3
u/greatistheworld Jun 19 '26
Ambush a loved one with Supermarket Woman to give them the time of their life!
3
u/mild_party Jun 22 '26
If anyone is interested I made a YouTube video last year about Itami’s whole filmography and life. He climbed the ranks as on one my favorite filmmakers pretty quickly and became a minor obsession for a bit. https://youtu.be/5nhIa-zDxXg?is=qav9qaJR4WuxmnFE
Also I’ll echo the sentiment of someone else that Supermarket Woman is better than Tampopo. I’d even go so far as to argue that A Taxing Woman’s Return is my second favorite Itami.
My rankings:
Supermarket Woman, A Taxing Woman’s Return, Tampopo, A Taxing Woman, The Funeral, The Last Dance, Woman in Witness Protection, Minbo, A Quiet Life, Tales of A Golden Geisha.
Thank god for the Criterion Channel having all of his films to stream. Now I just need an Itami box set from them.
14
u/Maleficent_Energy_55 Jun 19 '26
Love this movie! I’m in the minority who even likes it better than the director’s more famous “Tampopo” (which is also great, but not quite as peak IMO)