Hinokio (2005)

Director:

Takahiko Akiyama

Writers:

Takahiko Akiyama (screenplay)
Masumi Suetani (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 July 2005 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Intergalactic Love

Plot Keywords:

Young Boy | Robot | Teen | Japanese | Japan

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Masatoshi Nakamura	...	Kaoru Iwamoto
Kanata Hongô	...	Satoru Iwamoto
Mikako Tabe	...	Jun Kudo
Maki Horikita	...	Eriko Akishima
Ryoko Kobayashi	...	Sumire Takasaka
Yuta Murakami	...	Jouichi Hosono
Ryo Kato	...	Kenta Hirai
Sachie Hara	...	Natsuko Fubuki
Riho Makise	...	Yuko Sakagami
Mieko Harada	...	Sayuri Iwamoto
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yuki Murakami		(as Yuta Murakami)
Misako Nagashima
Ryo Sato		(as Ryo Kato)

Also Known As:

Hinokio: Inter Galactic Love (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:111 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | Hong Kong:I | Brazil:12 | South Korea:All

Company:

Eisei Gekijo

a masterpiece on simple values of friendship and forgiveness

I saw this at the Japanese Film Festival in Sydney and I thought it was fantastic. The whole story is clichéd as a whole, however with all the plot twists changing directions you have to just let it take you where it wants to go.

The story involves a young boy who lost his mother and was confined to a wheel-chair from a car accident. He spends his time locked in is room, using a robot that he can communicate from his computer as his eyes to the outside world.

Some moments in the film could be considered to many audiences as quite corny, however, the darker elements manage to balance the film as a whole quite nicely. At times the film feels it gets a bit long too, however this is only because there are so many ideas crammed into it that sometimes you really have no idea where it is going and are wanting to find a resolution all too soon. The ending, however, is far more than satisfying enough.

Use of cg is really great too, although it is usually saved for the right moments so that it is most effective. The use of first person perspectives and computer game footage was masterfully utilized to make interesting comparisons between reality and virtual-reality. Much more interesting than it was in say, Doom.

I think the most important thing about this film though, is that the characters are presented in ways that you can only feel compassion for them. You get the sense that the makers also felt the same way.

Verdict: You'll laugh, you'll cry.