Ever wonder what happened to that money that was buried in the snow in the movie Fargo? Me neither, but in the wistfully entrancing Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, a lonely Japanese woman, fueled by loneliness and likely something much sadder, sets out for Minnesota, convinced the money is real and waiting to be discovered.

Rinko Kikuchi delivers an absolutely incredible performance as the tragic title character, though she rarely speaks and when she does it's in a near-silent whisper. Kikuchi is not to be underestimated though; her talent extends beyond her words and through her shifting eyes and nervous but earnest mannerisms she allows us to enter her mind, if only a little, to see the world through her eyes.

It is clear early on that Kumiko is chasing a fantasy--after all, she is pursuing a treasure shown in a movie--but director and co-writer David Zellner's rich, intoxicating storytelling properly blurs the line between sad drama and uplifting fable, where comedy can be found even as you truly begin to understand just how disconnected Kumiko really is, and how her delusions may lead down a path from which she cannot return.

The culmination is the perfect blend, an unlikely outcome that nevertheless is, an entertaining, dreamy, extremely satisfying, beautifully acted and wondrously acted piece of filmmaking.

Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.