What's Up Connection

1990 2h 2m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 6

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a Hong Kong teenager from a poor family wins a trip to Japan, he unleashes a chain of events that will soon bring him from his secluded fishing village to Tokyo. On the way, he connects with a barely competent tour guide and a gender-fluid pickpocket. Upon returning home with this merry band of schemers, he and his family of counterfeiters discover that a multinational conglomerate led by a ruthless Japanese developer has found the village, and is determined to raze it to build the new center of world trade.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Reiko Arai
Tse Wai-Kit
Li Cheong
Chui Kwong Lam
Tuen
Michiko Suzuki
Tsang Mei Kie
Toshinori Kondo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Masashi Yamamoto
Writers: Masashi Yamamoto, Isamu Uno
Languages: Cantonese, Russian, Japanese, English
Countries: Hong Kong, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, Russian, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Masashi Yamamoto, shot by Masanari Tamai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Toshinori Kondo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chikako Fukuda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Reiko Arai and Tse Wai-Kit and Li Cheong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt12816922 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Masashi Yamamoto directs. Masanari Tamai behind the camera. Toshinori Kondo scores. Chikako Fukuda cuts. Produced in Hong Kong, Japan. Dialogue in Cantonese, Russian, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, Russian, Japanese, English.
3International production across 2 countries: Hong Kong, Japan.
4Directed by Masashi Yamamoto, shot by Masanari Tamai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Toshinori Kondo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Chikako Fukuda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Reiko Arai and Tse Wai-Kit and Li Cheong carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt12816922 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 6 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "japan", "hacker", "globalization", "language barrier".