Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2009)

People are voting emotionally.

Am I Missing Something?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Absolutely horrendous, made up facts, no continuity, bad camera work. Utterly idealized and false outsiders view of Japanese culture. Somehow Oreck managed to fool people with this vapid nonsense, even to the point of getting SWSW and Independent lens to show it...(bad) form and no substance.

'Look at insects--carefully. It's actually a way of life.' These words, spoken by Dr. Takashi Yoro, a beloved philosopher who is filmed in a rare interview in this movie (and yes, I did have to look him up, because I was touched by what he said), could be a guiding metaphor for Beetle Queen. I watched insects on the screen as I have never watched them in real life. I began to watch them as the Japanese in the movie seem to watch them--with wonder. By the time of the firefly scene at the center of the movie, I was spellbound. The music-- Japanese pop from the 80's--was so perfect. It sort of sparkled, just like the scene. I actually ended up buying the soundtrack which I have enjoyed richly but it made me want to see the film again.So I rented it from Netflix to watch again recently--pretty rare for me--but I wanted the wonder.I got it in spades.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo, despite its tongue in cheek title, is a quiet, minimalist study of the Japanese obsession with insects that also sheds light on Japanese culture and outlook on life. As such, it touches on subjects as varied as entomology and Shinto Buddhism, with a meditation on the Japanese concept of beauty to boot. The film is at its best when it helps us understand why its subjects have such a deep attachment to insects. One example of this is its discussion of the keeping of singing insects such as crickets as pets. Listening on the interviewee's discussion of the beauty of cricket song, I found myself wanting some crickets myself. The film largely avoids the temptation to treat its subjects as camp figures.The film's minimalist approach and low budget at times act as a hindrance. For instance, the film tends to spend too much time simply watching the streets of Tokyo without relating what we see to the film's subject. Furthermore, the camera work is weak, with night shots in particular being unfocused.Ultimately, Beetle Queen is an acquired taste, and definitely not for all audiences. It will be best appreciated by people with a serious interest in Japanese culture.

Imagine a country where children buy beetles at pet shops and lovingly observe and play with them instead of saying "Ewwww!" and running away.Welcome to "Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo," a meditation on the parallel universe of insects that delights so many people in Japan. Set to an intriguing electronic score, the film introduces us to the "delicately ergonomic lives" of insect oddities in cities and natural settings and the people who hunt, sell, collect, and just plain revere them.We witness a fuzzy white moth's birth photographed with all the interest that might be accorded a cute and cuddly mammal. Families out at dusk to watch fireflies -- believed by some to embody the souls of deceased relatives. A man who has earned enough to buy a Ferrari by stalking and hawking prized specimens.Along the way we learn about Zen gardens, Shinto, and communal dances at holiday celebrations -- just because they are intriguing and also happen to be part of the landscape.The star of the movie is the Kabuto beetle, whose fierce look belies a peculiarly passive personality, although once in a while they cross horns with each other. Japanese youngsters spend hours with these bugs the way American kids lavish attention on their hamsters.Surprisingly, this may not be a great film for children. My two boys, ages 7 and 13, both fell asleep about 10 minutes in. The subtitles are part of the problem. And my older kid said bugs definitely don't go well with popcorn.