Kikujiro (1999)

Takeshi Kitano directs himself as Kikujiro, an idle former yakuza sent to escort a young boy who is searching for his mother during the summer vacation. Kitano's face barely moves, and much of the comedy comes from that impassive stare meeting a child's long, aimless summer days. Gags are staged in still, wide shots, often with the punchline happening at a distance, while Joe Hisaishi's gentle score keeps the mood sweet rather than bleak. It runs about two hours and drifts from episode to episode, so treat it as a road movie with jokes rather than a joke machine.