Survival Family

A master of Japanese black comedy bites again. A typical middle-class, middle-aged salaryman (Fumiyo Kohinata) and his stay-at-home wife (Eri Fukatsu) live a typical life in a typical Tokyo flat with their daughter (Wakana Aoi), a fake-eyelash-sporting high-schooler, and their son (Yuki Izumisawa), a university student who shields his emotions behind his technological gadgets. Safe, and a bit spoiled, in their comfort zone, they are unprepared for what comes next. One morning, they wake up to a complete blackout. They rush to work and school, doggedly determined to maintain business as usual. As the outage continues and supplies run low, they go on an epic road trip, cycling from Tokyo to their grandfather's farm on Kagoshima, following a children's map of Japan. A post-apocalyptic comedy full of laughs and harsh lessons, it will lead you to question everything you take for granted. (New York Asian Film Festival)