If someone tells you they come from another planet, you assume they're nuts, do you not? Unless you believe you're an extraterrestrial yourself.

Such is the bizarre situation of the Osugi family in Daihachi Yoshida's "A Beautiful Star," with TV weatherman Dad (Lily Franky) being from Mars, college student Akiko (Ai Hashimoto) from Venus and bike messenger Kazuo (Kazuya Kamenashi) from Mercury. Only flaky Mom (Tomoko Nakajima), who sells bottled water in a kind of pyramid scheme, is an Earthling.

Loosely based on a 1962 novel by Yukio Mishima, the film thus has the setup of a quirky comedy. But just as Mishima's novel reflected its Cold War-era fears of nuclear annihilation, Yoshida's film unfolds on a planet on the verge of environmental catastrophe. As a comedy, it's the deepest shade of black.