"It was my first funeral; I hoped it would go right." On the surface of contemporary Japanese life, among the most obvious traces of Buddhist influence are the lingering aspects of ritual, from the carrying of amulets to the de rigueur Buddhist funeral. We conclude our series with Juzo Itami's satire in which preparation for a funeral ceremony in the land of the economic miracle includes watching an instructional video and rehearsing traditional phrases appropriate to the occasion. Husband-and-wife television actors are temporarily torn from their careers to perform the funeral and cremation of the woman's father, who becomes more loveable in death than he seems to have been in life. From its framing of objects to the presence of Chishu Ryu (as a priest), this family saga is Ozu gone berserk-or more exactly, burlesque. The modern-day absence of form does not preclude a desire for it, but there no longer are "tiny holes" through which souls or films can breathe.