When I saw the first teaser for Jersey no Futari (The Two in Tracksuits) a few months back, which basically consisted of Sheena & The Rokkets guitarist Makoto Ayukawa being completely baffled by his convenience store B.L.T. sandwich, it seemed quirky enough that it had to be something worth paying attention to. But the fact that it was written and directed by the notoriously “twisty” director Yoshihiro Nakamura made me a little bit hesitant to write about it yet for fear that there would be some major twist that changes the whole plot. Well, there’s a full trailer now that gives a clearer impression of the film’s tone. And since it’s based on a novel by Yu Nagashima (author of Dog in a Sidecar), chances are nobody will be getting trapped in any alternate dimensions or anything, so here goes.

Ayukawa plays a 54-year-old gravure photographer who spends the summer with his 32-year old son, played by Masato Sakai (Honey & Clover), at a mountain villa deep in the mountains. When the two arrive, they throw on some tacky primary school tracksuits in an attempt to be as comfortable while doing pretty much nothing. Not much happens at first -- they seem to be offered an abundance of tomatoes by everyone they meet, they have some strange conversations with an eccentric neighbor (Michiyo Ookusu), and engage in random pointless conversations.

The following year, the son's wife (Miki Mizuno) and daughter (Asami Tanaka) come to visit things seem to be great for a while, but his wife's life back in Tokyo causes some issues. Meanwhile, the father is having some problems in his 3rd marriage. Away from the noise of urban life the characters are free to have plenty of random funny conversations, and even after some tense moments, they're able to maintain a positive outlook.

"Jersey no Futari" opens in Japan on July 19, 2008.

Here's the aforementioned "B.L.T." teaser:

And the full trailer:

Source: Official website

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Tags: asami tanaka, dankan, makoto ayukawa, masato sakai, michiyo ookusu, miki mizuno, mio mukaino, rie kuwana, takamitsu nonaka, the two in tracksuits, yoshihiro nakamura