Ghost Soup
Review
This is a made-for-TV type of movie, about an hour long. It's a wonderful, Christmas-time movie about a young man moving into a new apartment and the string of people who keep coming to his door. Finally an entire group want to take over his apartment and want him to leave so they can throw a party.
It's not a typical party, though, and Ichiro, the young man, shows he has a big heart when he ends up helping these strangers complete their mission.
To say anything else would give away too much. This is a movie that is a must-see, one of the most unique Japanese movies I have ever seen and one of the most enjoyable.
Synopsis
Suzuki Ichiro has to find a place to stay right away due to a complicated set of circumstances, and he has to do this on Christmas Eve.
His new apartment.
He's trying to get things set up and some buy comes to the door and wants him to subscribe to a newspaper.
The next one is some guy claiming to collect the public TV fee.
Next up is a woman wanting to talk about religion.
Next is two people selling something and person after person keeps coming after them.
Yet another person arrives. She comes on in and then another guy that had come to the door appears in the apartment (but without coming through the door first.) The girl's name is Nana, the guy's name is Mal (and he speaks English).
Nana says he is causing a problem by being there and he needs to leave with all of his stuff.
A bunch of guys carry a small Christmas tree in. Ichiro asks Nana what she is going to do.
Mel and Nana talk outside.
Nana goes grocery shopping.
Ichiro is there too and tries to stop Nana when she leaves and doesn't pay for anything, but he's picked up instead.
Private Sakata.
He has a plan for getting Ichiro out of the apartment.
His solution for how to stop Ichiro from getting back into his apartment.
He was just kidding. Another plan. The private suggests taking the guy somewhere he doesn't know and leaving him there.
They throw a bag over his head and catch him.
The private blows his trumpet as they pass.
Ichiro finally works his way out of the bag.
He seems to be in the general vicinity of where he lives. He recognizes a house he sees but has a hard time remembering much about it.
He gets back to the apartment.
Nana's cooking something on the stove (using logs and an open fire rather than the stove itself.)
Nana shakes Ichiro's hand and there's purple lightning all around their hands.
Ichiro realizes that they are ghosts. He tries to call for help.
Nana tries to get on Ichiro's good side. He kicks them all out.
They get back in and trap him in his restroom.
The landlady lets Ichiro out of the restroom.
He has a whiskey to try and calm his nerves.
He smells what Nana was cooking and remembers something from his childhood, when he saw lots of people lined up but his mother couldn't see them.
Suddenly there's someone else in his apartment. It's his grandfather.
His grandfather was also able to see all the people lined up. (That's a young Ichiro on the right. Apparently is grandfather is already dead.)
Nana is the one serving the soup, and Mal is helping her.
Apparently after the spirits eat the soup they will go to Heaven.
Nana and Mal talk.
They go back to fight Ichiro, but he's finished decorating the apartment and tells them they need to hurry and finish the ghost soup, that the people are lined up and ready.
Nana has dressed up.
Mal, Ichiro and Nana all take some of the soup to Private Takata.
She has a book with the names of others who need the ghost soup.
Ichirio asks Mal and Nana why they don't drink the soup and ascend, and she says they are not ghosts. She has Ichiro feel down her back and he pulls off a feather. Mal and Nana are angels.
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