Release Date

November, 24th, 2007

Running Time

102 min

Genre

Drama , Feature

Color

Color

Screening Format

35mm

Screen Size

-

Sound Processing

Mono

[ Directed by ]

• KOBAYASHI Masahiro

[ Produced by ]

• KOBAYASHI Naoko

[ Cast ]

• KOBAYASHI Masahiro ── Man
• WATANABE Makiko ── Woman

[ Staff ]

• KOBAYASHI Masahiro ── Screenplay
• NISHIKUBO Koichi ── Cinematography
• KANEKO Naoki ── Editor
• KOBAYASHI Masahiro ── Music

[ Production Company ]

Monkey Town Productions

[ Story ]

A 14-year-old girl stabbed another girl in her class to death. Junichi, who had already lost his wife to cancer, loses the will to live, following the subsequent death of his daughter. He resigns from his job in a newspaper company, and instead, gains a job as a laborer in Hokkaido. His life consists of staying at an inn, working at an iron works, returning home, having a bath and dinner, and going to sleep at dusk. At the inn, Noriko works as a kitchen hand. She is the mother of the girl who killed Junichi's daughter. Noriko has also left Tokyo and is living a life as if hiding from the world. Junichi and Noriko see each other every day but do not exchange any words. However, Junichi is gradually drawn to Noriko, who he finds is leading a life burden by guilt.
Direction and script by Kobayashi Masahiro, whose Bashing was shown in the Competition section at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2005. Kobayashi played the lead role and sang the theme song in The Rebirth . A winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival in 2007, as well as screened at various film festivals across the world.

[ Premiere ]

World Premiere: International Film Festival Locarno 2007

[ Film Festivals, Awards ]

2007 Locarno International Film Festival, Golden Leopard, Youth Jury Prize, CICAE Prize, Daniel Schmid Prize
2007 Filmfest Hamburg
2007 Busan International Film Festival
2007 Kyiv International Film Festival Molodist
2007 Viennale International Film Festival
2007 KINOTAYO Festival du Film Japonais Contemporain
2007 Stockholm International Film Festival
2007 International Film Festival Bratislava
2008 CINEPUR’S CHOICE
2008 International Film Festival Rotterdam
2008 Festival International des Cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul
2008 Tromso International Film Festival
2008 International Fajr Film Festival
2008 FICCO
2008 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival
2008 Belgrade International Film Festival
2008 International Forum of Social Films “Time to Live”
2008 Barcelona Asian Film Festival
2008 International Independent Film Festival Indielisboa
2008 Open Doek
2008 Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival
2008 Istanbul International Film festival
2008 Festival de Granada CINES DEL SUR
2008 Taipei Film Festival
2008 Moscow International Film Festival
2008 Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival

[ Contact (International) ]

For further contact details, please contact UNIJAPAN -> [ Contact ]