Picnic (1996)
"Pikunikku" (original title)

Believing that the world will end that very day, three mental patients Coco, Tsumuji, and Satoru set out upon a journey. Walking upon the tops of the walls of the city, they seek to find a ... See full summary »

Director:

Shunji Iwai

Writer:

Shunji Iwai

Stars:

Chara, Tadanobu Asano, Koichi Hashizume

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Chara	...	Coco
Tadanobu Asano	...	Tsumuji
Koichi Hashizume	...	Satoru
Naomasa Musaka	...	Head Nurse
Fujiko Yamamoto	...	Nurse
Shifumi Yamaguichi	...	Coco's Mother
Takaaki Kabuto	...	Coco's Father
Kazue Itô	...	Doctor
Keiichi Suzuki	...	Pastor

Storyline

Believing that the world will end that very day, three mental patients Coco, Tsumuji, and Satoru set out upon a journey. Walking upon the tops of the walls of the city, they seek to find a picnic spot with the best vantage point to view the final event.

---

Plot Keywords:

masturbation

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 July 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Picnic

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji Television Network, Pony Canyon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

Three troubled mental patients believe the world is ending, They set out to find a good spot for a picnic to witness the end of everything.

I live in Japan and watch a lot of Japanese films. Like anywhere there are the gems and the dregs. Unfortunately, this falls into the latter. It is shallow, pretentious and shot through with amateurism, from the none existent cinematography, to the flat dull performances. Chara should stick to singing, and this is probably Asano's worst performance on screen I've ever seen. This is more evident if you don't need to rely on the subtitles, as the original dialog comes across as hollow and flat in the native tongue. The concept is interesting and original, but that doesn't mean anything if the execution is lacking. Another point worth mentioning is that this is NOT a short film, it clocks in a just over an hour, a little longer in the original Japanese version (72 minutes) and I think this is it's biggest problem, it stretches an already thin concept beyond breaking point. Disappointing from Shunji Iwai, who is on of the more talented directors from Japan. Though to be fair, this is a relatively early piece, and his later works are much more confident in style and content. One for the fans only I think.