Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust (2007) - full transcript

I'm sure the banks will oblige me.

Bet you're hungry.

Don't you want to eat?

Don't think you'd be fooled?

I bet you will. Hidden Camera has
been at this for more than a decade.

Incognito!

What an obvious disguise!
That's so "ghetto"!

So "ghetto"? I didn't know
that was even an adjective.

That felt great!

It's been a long day.

I bet you're tired.



Not at all.

Is that so?

I love old TV!

The warm weather has brought
out the cherry blossoms.

Mama...

The last photo I saw of her
was in front of cherry blossoms.

That's right. You're looking for her.

Where could she be?

If you're from the year 2007,
you've met my future self, right?

What am I like?

Different.

In what way?

You're dark, depressing...
and aloof.

Who, me? Lmpossible.



I wonder what happens to you
in the next 17 years.

Are you curious?

I'm glad you're finally taking
an interest.

We've got all night.

What would you like to know?

Your career... is a failure.

You work in the basement.

Basement?

I'll take the bedroom.

Damn.

Okay, then.

Fine.

The future, indeed.

Mariko?

"The Setting Sun"

"Deficit Time Bomb"

"Yawning Income Gaps"

"The Lost Decade"

Morning.

I waited for you last night.

Same old excuse?

No, I simply forgot.

You're the lowest.

Enter.

You wanted to see me?

I assume you know everything...

about the girl who broke in
here yesterday.

Oh, that girl?

You came to her rescue.
Why?

Should I have not?

Don't play dumb.

In two days, we'll be announcing
important legislation.

We can't have the media sniffing
it out in advance.

That's why I've asked that anyone
suspicious be arrested.

Surely arrests are excessive.

That's not your call.

Understood.

Can I ask you something, Director?

You haven't met the girl's mother?

No, I haven't.

What're you implying?

Nothing. Never mind.

Shimokawaji speaking.

I beeped you last night.
Why didn't you call?

You're so gorgeous, it would
distract me from my work.

Uh-huh. Listen, can I meet
that kooky girl from the disco?

Why?

She's from the future, right?

As a journalist, I can't help but
be intrigued.

Okay, but under one condition.

Hello?

It's me.

Meet me in 30 minutes in front of
Akebono Station.

There are two exits so...

Gotcha. I'll call you when I get there.

Call me how?

That's right. No cell phone service.

He doesn't have one, either.
How do people survive?

Hey.

Try to be a little more specific
with meeting arrangements, okay?

How should I know how people
meet up in 1990?

Where you going?
I've got to find Mama.

Let's start looking.

Hey, is that Naoko lijima?

- Yes, it is!
- Who's she?

She's real famous in the future!

Don't come back.

Please, give me another chance!
I won't mess my lines!

Sorry.

Poor girl.

Don't give up. You're going to get
a big coffee commercial.

Excuse us, please.

I am?

Sorry to keep you.

About time.

What's the condition?

See if the police are holding
this woman.

I have the suspicion my boss
had her arrested.

She's my mother.

She's also from the future.

She built the time machine.

I see. Your mother invented
a time machine?

I want to know all about life
in the year 2007.

Never mind that. Hurry!

First things first.

What about the "Great King of Terror"?

Great King of who?

Nostradamus!

The seventh month of 1999!
What happens?

In 1999?
Nothing, I don't think.

How disappointing.

Well then...

The biggest change is the mobile.

Mobile what?

Mobile telephone.

Is this really a telephone?

It's so small!

But it doesn't reach my mouth.

It also takes pictures.

See?

Wow! But how do you talk
and take photos?

You don't.

You can shop, too.

It's a credit card?

Email, too.

And a masseuse.

Ah, that's nice.

Now you believe me?

I do.

Did you see that?
I want to live in 2007!

You'd fit right in.

But the economy gets bad.

Now, that I don't believe.

This is Japan.

A "bubble", by definition...

We'll do a special feature!

Just find her mother!

"Cute young prophet divines
21 st century Japan!"

There she goes.

Everything okay?

A small glitch but I'm taking
care of it.

What's wrong?

Nothing, eat up. This dessert
is only served here.

What? Tiramisu?
I love it.

This is "bad"!

What? No good?

I mean, it's great.

You sure use some funny expressions.

Let me ask you something.

Is the economy in 2007 "bad"?

As in "great"?

No, as in "bad".

What's the prime lending rate?

Don't know.

But they say there's no future.

The population's declining.

The government is 800 trillion
in debt and can't repay it.

800 trillion?

Really.

That's why you sent us back here.

What did my future self tell you?

That at this rate, the Japanese
economy would collapse.

I said that?

There you are!

Mariko!

Mama! Where've you been!?
I've been looking for you!

Who's this?

What do you mean?
It's me, mama!

Do I look like a bar hostess to you?

Come with me.

What're you up to?

Nothing.

I'm being followed,
morning till night!

On your orders, right?

No! Who, me?

Don't lie.

I'm not. Why would I give
an order like that?

You're not getting her.

Who?

My daughter.

Your daughter?

Our daughter.

I never told you about her.

So how'd you find out?
Who told you I had her?

My... daughter?

You want custody, don't you?

Wait, back up. You gave birth
to my daughter?

Yes, on my own.

How old is she?

Five.

Impossible. What's her name?

Mayumi?

So you did know.

Why didn't you tell me?

You've got other women.

I had no intention of marrying you.

But I wanted a child.
So I disappeared with her.

I can raise her myself.
She doesn't need a father.

So stop pestering us.

We're perfectly happy just
the two of us.

Mariko, wait.

What was that all about?

Uh, nothing.

That's my mama from
the past, right?

From when I was five years old.

I don't remember much.

She always worked late in her lab.

She'd pick me up from daycare
in the evenings.

You sense something?

Like we're being followed?

Stay here.

Who's there!?

Stop!

What're you doing?

Working.

Filming Mayumi?

She's my subject.

She's not a circus act.

Oh, come on.
We'll keep you out of it.

No way.

I'm serving as her guardian.

You're not to follow her, you hear!

Shimokawaji?

Don't tell me you've fallen for her.

Watch your tongue!

Just find her mother.

Thanks.

For protecting me.

I took you as stupid and flaky.

Well, I'm bushed.

Good night.

It's okay.

A kiss.

Behave yourself!

You have to be on your guard
with men. You're too easy.

What?

Make sure they respect you
for who you are.

Now go to bed.

Sleep tight.

You're one to talk.

I found her mother. She's being held
at the Kojimachi Police Precinct.

Why the police?

She jumped in front of the
Prime Minister's car.

Mr. Prime Minister!

I must speak with you!

Serizawa wouldn't listen
so she went to the top.

Mama.

"Detainment Desk"

"Detainment Desk"
Released?

Yes, one hour ago...
Ms. Mariko Tanaka.

Where'd she go?

I'm afraid I don't know.

If a Mariko Tanaka contacts you,
buzz me immediately.

Is that tomorrow's announcement?

I was just thinking.

What?

If we go ahead with this...

it'll clamp down on the
collateralizing of property.

That could lead to a lot of
defaults on loans.

And if those start to mount...

You worried about the banks?
They can handle it.

No, I don't think they can.

In the attempt to lower property prices,
they're missing the bigger picture.

Is this for real?

Tomorrow's announcement is
a bomb set to explode.

Hello?

Come quickly!

He's on the phone with
Mariko Tanaka.

Mama!

I've given it a lot of thought.

You've sold me on your future scenario.

I plan to shelve legislation
restricting property loans.

Yes, I promise.

But I'd like you to personally
explain this to the principals.

Come to the Toyokawa restaurant
in Akasaka tonight at 6.

See you then.

But Mama...

Excuse me.

It's about your announcement tomorrow.

What about it?

I beg you to reconsider.

Why should I do that?

I fear your simulation underestimates
its true impact.

I fear it will generate massive
loan defaults...

and throw Japan into a recession
of an unprecedented scale.

The announcement will go ahead.

But Sir!

There's no time to waste.

That is all.

Do you believe in time travel?

Time travel?

Yes.

I'd sure like to.

Can we save her?

Well?

Let me ask you again.

Are the people in your time
unhappy with their country?

I don't know.

But I know you will think so.

"Toyokawa"

There's got to be a way in.

Tamayakko?

Shimokawaji?

How dare you show your face here?

You two-timing pig!

Nasty! Especially the fan.

"Mama", is that you?

She's not your mama.

No, the madam of the club I work at!

You must be mistaken.
Get to work, ladies.

Mama, wait!

Don't call me that!

I've got a great idea!

We're on!

Not bad.

You think?

Fish delivery.

Mama...

Leave us.

Come on!

Mama.

I'm your mama, right?

Who are they?

Just a few key supporters
of Japan Inc.

Please... tell us our future.

I am...

from the year 2007. I came in
a time machine that I built.

I'm here to dissuade you from
tightening fiscal policy.

It will cripple our nation's
banking system...

and devastate the economy.

Banks will collapse, taking small
and medium-size firms with them.

A dark, long tunnel lies ahead.

So I beg you, please...
cancel tomorrow's announcement.

Well said.

So we weren't mistaken after all.

What's he up to?

We're well aware of all this.

It is our intention to see the Japanese
economy collapse.

In it's wake, we'll go on a buying
spree of bargain stocks.

We'll become multi-billionaires.

Everyone in attendance here.

You knew?

But why?

You said yourself this is a bubble.

Someone's got to burst it, right?

Damn, if only we had a video camera.

We do. This takes video, too.

Since you're from the future,
you don't exist here.

Killing you would not constitute a crime.

Mama...

Shimokawaji!

Mayumi!

I came looking for you, Mama!

You don't own Japan, Serizawa!

You could join us...

or be part of a love suicide
with this girl.

You're not getting away with this!

Do something.

Don't mess with a geisha.

Mariko...

you've gotten old.

Thanks a lot.

Nasty.

Ready, ladies?

Get off me!

My phone!

There!

Get off your butt!

My wig!

Not so fast!

My cell phone...

is dead.

Party's over.

You raised a good girl.

A loose cannon but...
I'm proud to be her father.

You knew?

Father? You?

We got it all on tape!
And live, too!

Little did we expect a
development like this!

A conspiracy to ruin the economy
and profit from it!

This is Kaoru Miyazaki,
reporting live from Akasaka.

Back to the studio!

How'd I look?

I called the police.

You promised not to tail us.

I never said I'd keep it, right?

Sugai?

My leak.

Come with us, Mr. Serizawa.

Let me call my lawyer.

I can walk unassisted.

Give me your exclusive, Sir.

What are your plans now?

You all right?

I think so.

Why did you come?

My future self sent her.

But why?

That's okay.
I agreed to it.

I was worried about you.

Then we're finished here?

Yeah.

There's one little problem.

When the Director threatened Mariko...

he said she doesn't exist here.

Yeah, so?

Well, there's another way to
ensure that she doesn't.

Mariko.

But I'm...

The other Mariko.

That's right. If the younger
you disappears...

the time machine doesn't get invented
and we don't come here.

She said she was being followed.

I'll call the police!

It's about time.

Sorry but now I need your bike!

I'm coming, too!
They're both my mother.

Hold on!

Mama...

Put down the gun!

Hold onto something!

What just happened?

A byproduct of my research.

Why were they after me?

Your new girlfriend?

You don't need to know yet.

You're working pretty late for
someone with a small child.

She's all you have, right?

That's precisely why I have to work.

I don't want her to struggle.

She can't grow up feeling deprived
that she didn't have a father.

But she has a father... right here.

Don't strain yourself.

Mayumi's my child, too.

Mayumi?

Mama!

Sorry I'm late.

Here she is.

And now to the Ministry of Finance
for an emergency press conference.

It's starting!

A bill aimed at restricting
real estate speculation....

has been withdrawn.

After much examination...

we concluded it would place too great
a strain on the economy.

What led you to that conclusion?

Highly restrictive, short-term caps on
property transactions...

would saddle banks with
enormous non-performing loans.

Many banks would fail immediately.

Banks?

Without a doubt.

So the Ministry of Finance
plans to do nothing?

Our current prosperity cannot
continue unabated.

The bubble will eventually burst.

What can we citizens do?

I'm not sure I know.

What would "you" do, then?

Keep working.

And at the end of the day...

I'll go home to my family.

Family?

What family?

What do you mean "family"?

Deposit this 2 million yen into
Mariko Tanaka's account.

A present from her daughter.

This belongs here, I think.

With so much money and
everyone living it up...

it's tempting to stay.

But family is all I need.

Let's go home.

Ugh, Tajima?

Wait!

I'm still in debt?

Look, I'll pay you, all right?

For what, Miss Mayumi?

"Miss Mayumi?"

Mayumi?

Mama!

Madam, your husband has sent for you.

Mr. Sugai?

Welcome back.

Ready, Mr. Secretary?

"Mr. Secretary?"

The Prime Minister insists on
coming himself.

"Prime Minister?"

Today's newspaper.

"1 st Shimokawaji Cabinet Launched"

I'm Cabinet Secretary.
These are my aides.

Supporters sent the new Prime Minister
a 3-meter high "good fortune rake".

Hopes are high for continued prosperity
under the new administration.

Now for sports.

Japan's national team is looking to repeat
as World Cup champions...

under head coach Ramos.

Welcome home.

What happened these 17 years?

We'll talk about it over dinner.

Family comes first.
I'll see you later.

Why you arrogant pig!

Nasty...
even for a Prime Minister.

What is it, Mayumi?

What's that?

Traffic got so bad,
I had a couple more built.

Oh no. I'm not doing this
again, Shimokawaji.

Call me Papa!

Hiroshi Abe

Ryoko Hirosue

Hiroko Yakushimaru

Kazue Fukiishi

Yuko lto

Gekidan Hitori

Shigemitsu Ogi

Hiroko Moriguchi

Masatoh lbu

Produced by
Chihiro Kameyama

Story by
Hoichoi Productions

Screenplay by
Ryoichi Kimizuka

Directed by
Yasuo Baba

Presented by Fuji Television,
Dentsu, Toho, Shogakukan

(c) 2007 Fuji Television, Dentsu, Toho,
Shogakukan. All Rights Reserved.

This movie is purely fiction.

As of 2007, no time machine has
been invented out of a washer.

Under no circumstances should you
ever climb into a washing machine.