So a student of mine informed me that a script concept I had been developing was adapted to the feature film KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER starring Rinko Kikuchi which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The story is of a young Japanese woman that was convinced that the buried money in the Coen Bros film FARGO was somehow still buried in the snows of Minnesota since the film was "based on a true story" (the Coen Bros later admitted it was not). As the urban legend goes this woman (her actual name was Takako Konishi) traveled to the US and encountered the local police while wandering in the cold. Having difficulty communicating with the authorities, she was left to go on her way but then was later found dead - supposedly she froze to death while looking for the FARGO money. But later it was discovered that, as reported by Paul Berczeller in his article "Death in the Snow," Takako was actually searching for an estranged American lover she had met in Japan and that her death was actually a suicide - a letter mailed to her parents in Japan was later discovered. It's a truly fascinating and tragic legend/story with such great dramatic possibilities. My version was not a direct adaptation and I'm focusing less on the treasure hunting aspect and more on the love story. So despite this other film beating me to adapting the story, my version is still viable as it doesn't even involve Minnesota/North Dakota or the snow or FARGO for that matter. But I am curious as to how these filmmaker interpreted the subject matter. I highly recommend reading Paul Berczeller's article in the Guardian - his presentation of fact and fiction is what makes the story film-worthy. #gnetx #sse
'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter' at Sundance 2014
A chat with the star and writer/director/producers of 'Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter'.
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