Shizukana seikatsu (1995)

Director:

Jûzô Itami

Writers:

Jûzô Itami, Kenzaburô Oe (novel)

Stars:

Masayuki Imai, Nobuko Miyamoto, Hinako Saeki

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Masayuki Imai	...	Arai
Nobuko Miyamoto
Hinako Saeki	...	Maa-chan
Mihoko Shibata
Atsurô Watabe	...	Iiyo
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Satomi Achiwa
Hisako Hara
Tokie Hidari
Shinobu Kawamata
Toshizô Kudô
Noboru Mitani
Tamaki Ogawa	...	Weather Woman
Nobuto Okamoto
Rie Shibata

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

humanism | family relationships | handicap | innocence | literary figure | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 September 1995 (Japan)

Also Known As:

A Quiet Life

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Itami Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A triumph of humanism

Japanese filmmakers have a gift for translating the tenets of humanist thought onto celluloid. Akira Kurosawa created several such masterpieces, from Ikiru to the triumphant Red Beard; Shunji Iwai contributed the wacky but thought-provoking Swallowtail; Juzo Itami gave us Daibyonin (The Last Dance) and this little treasure.

Iiyo is regarded as one of society's unfortunates, a "retard" as one schoolgirl exclaims, but he has a lovely, even enviable world view, one which, admittedly, the people closest to him are slow to pick up on. In fact, the "normal" folks in this film seem almost neurotic, as they manufacture complex and troublesome meanings and motives to explain Iiyo's behavior.

Long ago, a college professor advised me and 499 classmates to try to experience the world through the eyes of a severely handicapped person. He promised that it would be a most rewarding exercise. Juzo Itami captured this sentiment on film in a beautiful and thoughtful way.