I've seen my share of Japanese movies set partly or wholly in the United States. With a few exceptions, the filmmakers only skim the exotic surface, while the Japanese characters never become more than fish out of water gasping for a breath of the familiar, be it instant noodles or spoken Japanese.
Based on her prize-winning MFA thesis short, Atsuko Hirayanagi's "Oh Lucy!" premiered in the 2017 Cannes Critics' Week section and screened at many other overseas festivals before finally arriving on screens here.
This international attention is deserved: "Oh Lucy!" sure-footedly crosses the U.S.-Japan divide. That doesn't mean it's perfect: The gags often play on stereotypes, while the drama sometimes verges on the overwrought. Yet on the whole the film is meticulously crafted; fine detailing is often absent in the usual Japanese "international" movie, whose brush of choice is broad.