Hoteru Haibisukasu

Hotel Hibiscus provides a light-hearted peak at the goings-on of a family running a small hotel on Okinawa in southern Japan. Much of the film is focused on the daily activities of the youngest child. The 6 year-old kid, along with many playmates, seem to endlessly yell their lines as if the recording microphone is 50 feet away. This is unfortunate because the child's voice quickly becomes most irritating.

Inside the hotel, or out, nearly the entire film is framed in distant long shots. It is easier to recognize characters by age, movement and body type rather than being able to see and recognize each actor's face. The set-up for the end arrives abruptly and as the ending credits roll, the viewer is left unsatisfied. Hotel Hibiscus is uninteresting, but harmless.