Ken Kawai's 'The Chatterboxes' follows a deaf Japanese appliance store owner in Tokyo suburbs clashing with a Kurdish immigrant over a misunderstanding. The film explores themes of prejudice and communication barriers through linguistic comedy.
'The Chatterboxes,' directed by Ken Kawai, is a scruffy and cynical crowd-pleaser centered on a linguistic comedy of errors featuring unusual characters. In one corner stands Kazuhiko Koga (played by Kazuyoshi Kezuka), the deaf owner of an appliance store in Tokyo's suburbs. In the other is Rifat (Murat Cicek), a Kurdish immigrant preparing to open a restaurant in the neighborhood.
Their feud begins with a misunderstanding over a broken lightbulb in Kazuhiko's shop, nearly escalating into a street brawl involving their friends. Unable to communicate directly—Kazuhiko relies on Japanese Sign Language (JSL), while Rifat speaks only Kurdish and Turkish—they depend on their grown-up children for interpretation.
Kazuhiko's hearing daughter, Natsumi (Itsuki Nagasawa), adopts a diplomatic stance to calm tempers. By contrast, Rifat's Japan-raised son, Hiwa (Yildirm Firat), eagerly provides accurate translations of his father's insults and urges the same from his counterpart. As expected, the youngsters fail to resolve the conflict but quickly form a sibling-like camaraderie.
The film addresses themes of prejudice and communication through the feud between the deaf Japanese man and the Kurdish immigrant.