Kûchû teien (2005)

Director:

Toshiaki Toyoda

Writers:

Mitsuyo Kakuta (novel)
Toshiaki Toyoda (screenplay)

Release Date:

2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Dominatrix | Based On Novel

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Kyôko Koizumi	...	Eriko Kyobashi
Anne Suzuki	...	Mana Kyobashi (as An Suzuki)
Itsuji Itao	...	Takashi Kyobashi
Masahiro Hirota	...	Ko Kyobashi
Jun Kunimura	...	Eriko's brother
Eita	...	Tezuka
Asami Imajuku	...	Sacchin
Ryo Katsuji	...	Morisaki (as Ryô Katsuji)
Sonim	...	Mina (as Sonin)
Hiromi Nagasaku	...	Asako Iizuka
Michiyo Ookusu	...	Satoko Kinosaki (as Michiyo Ôkusu)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Seiji Chihara
Seiroku Nakazawa
Kiyohiko Shibukawa
Shinsuke Suzuki
Yoshitaka Yamamoto

Also Known As:

Hanging Garden (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:114 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Company:

Asahi National Broadcasting Company

Quotes:

Ko Kyobashi: Teacher Mina, when they built that housing project, did they think, if all the windows were the same size and faced south at the same angle, that they'd all get the same sunlight and everyone would be equally happy?
Mina: What are you talking about? That's for drying laundry.

Mesmerizing

A wonderful art-house film. Hanging Garden is a story of a complicated family with the motto: "No secrets in the house" where everyone is always smiling with a 'mask' on. It was quite interesting to see how this dysfunctional family kept itself together.

Koizumi Kyouko was fantastic in the role of the mother with a dark past. This movie is just so well-directed and camera-work is incredible. Even though majority of the scenes were shot in very ordinary urban environment, there were many stunning scenes. I must admit I didn't appreciate the constant 360 degrees rotation of the camera, I guess it's reference to the rotating bed in the love hotel, but it kind of disoriented me after a while... not the best film to watch when you're sleep deprived.

I didn't really expect too much at the beginning of this film, but I was completely absorbed by the story as the movie progressed. I especially love the ending because I'm a sucker for epiphany scenes in movies, and the one in this movie is possibly the ultimate. A very satisfying viewing experience, this film deserved a lot more awards.