Review for ‘‘Mr. Mimoto’’ by Govind Chandran

While the mainstream film industries in the west have only recently started highlighting asian actors and cinema in general, as well as leaning into stories about the asian experience, some filmmakers have been living through these exact stories their whole lives. Govind Chandran's short dark comedy Mr. Mimoto examines our perceptions and expectations around asian cultures, as a film not only about asian stereotyping, but also made through the efforts of a multicultural, in large part asian, cast.

Setting the short in a single room, building it around a single scene and a very simple premise appears to be a recipe for success. No line or character overstays their welcome, the pace is brisk and serves the comedy well, and the performances from a veteran cast elevate the experience with unmatched professionalism, as the plot wanders towards the absurd before our - and the cast's - disbelieving eyes. The story hinges on a simple question. Is the man that the two protagonists have been contracted to abduct, in fact, the infamous Mr. Mimoto, or is he not only someone else, but of an entirely different ethnicity? The conundrum is further complicated as the stakes of the job get higher, and the resulting interactions between the characters do a discreet yet effective job of highlighting current issues of racism, cultural identity and cultural appropriation.

Furthermore, at each step we are confronted with dilemmas on who exactly has the authority to speak in what scenario, and what it means to be a person of color trying to exist in a western society that still regards whiteness as the default. Smartly, the aesthetics of the film reflect this, from the pastel colors and formal dress of the characters all the way to the choice of location, as the traditional, high-class european mansion clashes with both the violence depicted, the illegality of the activities on screen, and finally, with the cast itself, at least as far as traditional western thought goes.

All in all, Mr. Mimoto is a stripped down collaborative project with a pleasantly diverse cast, a sometimes too-discreet central theme, beautiful costumes, cinematography and performances, especially given the budget, and finally, humor and dark comedy for the post-modern age.