Still Walking (2008) Aruitemo aruitemo (original title)

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writers:

Hirokazu Koreeda (original story)
Hirokazu Koreeda (screenplay)

Release Date:

28 June 2008 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Still Walking is a family drama about grown children visiting their elderly parents, which unfolds over one summer day...

Plot Keywords:

Children | Pachinko | Watermelon | Sea Urchin | Doctor

Awards:

10 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Hiroshi Abe	...	Ryota Yokoyama
Yui Natsukawa	...	Yukari Yokoyama
You	...	Chinami Kataoka
Kazuya Takahashi	...	Nobuo Kataoka
Shohei Tanaka	...	Atsushi Yokoyama
Kirin Kiki	...	Toshiko Yokoyama
Yoshio Harada	...	Kyohei Yokoyama
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ryôga Hayashi	...	Mutsu Kataoka
Haruko Kato
Hotaru Nomoto	...	Satsuki Kataoka
Susumu Terajima	...	Sushi deliverer

Directed by
Hirokazu Koreeda

Writing credits
Hirokazu Koreeda		(original story)
Hirokazu Koreeda		(screenplay)

Produced by
Yoshihiro Kato	....	producer
Satoshi Kôno	....	producer
Hijiri Taguchi	....	producer
Masahiro Yasuda	....	producer

Original Music by
Gonchichi

Cinematography by
Yutaka Yamasaki

Film Editing by
Hirokazu Koreeda

Art Direction by
Toshihiro Isomi
Keiko Mitsumatsu

Costume Design by
Kazuko Kurosawa

Sound Department
Shuji Ohtake	....	sound
Yutaka Tsurumaki	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Eiji Oshita	....	gaffer

Other crew
Mami Sunada	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Bandai Visual Company
• Cinequanon
• Eisei Gekijo
• Engine Film
• TV Man Union

Distributors

• Filmmuseum Distributie (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Folkets Bio (2009) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atalanta Filmes (2009) (Portugal) (all media)
• Cine Qua Non Films (2008) (Japan) (all media)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Golem Distribución (2008) (Spain) (all media)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• New Wave Films (2010) (UK) (all media)
• Odeon (2009) (Greece) (all media)
• Pan Vision (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Pyramide Distribution (2009) (France) (all media)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2010) (Argentina) (DVD)
• trigon-film (2009) (Switzerland) (all media)

Other Companies

• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Hoei Sangyo Co. Ltd.  film supplied by
• Imagica  film processing
• NAC Image Technology  camera equipment supplied by
• Nihon Shomei Co.  lighting equipment supplied by
• Toho Studios  sound stages

Also Known As:

"Aruitemo aruitemo" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:All | Sweden:Btl | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:G | UK:U | USA:Not Rated | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan

Company:

Bandai Visual Company

Soundtrack:

Blue Light Yokohama

A Meditation

Few other nations can capture the beauty of family drama with such subtlety and grace as the Japanese can. Perhaps it is a blessed legacy left behind by the master Yasujiro Ozu who in his lifetime made over 50 films, all of which are family dramas that often dealt with generational gaps. Japan, more than any other nation struggles with the problem of generational gap, being a nation that has continued to endure conflict between the young and the old, the traditional and the modern. Stepping into Ozu's shoes is the acclaimed director Koreeda Hirokazu, whose films "Nobody Knows" and "After Life" has already garnered universal praises.

"Still Walking" begins as a family reunites to commemorate the death of one of its members. With new members joining the family and old wounds resurfacing, everyone tries their best to pass the two day gathering with as little problem as possible. Sounds simple doesn't it? Well, therein lies the plain and subtle beauty of the film. From a few words exchanged between the grandfather and his new grandson to the laughter of three children as they caress a blossoming flower, these simple moments will linger in your mind with tasteful resonance long after the film.

While watching the movie, I found it hard not to be immersed by the beauty of Japanese suburbia. I could picture myself - like the characters, taking a stroll on a simmering summer day with the cool breeze in my hair as the gentle picking of guitar strings play in the background. Or perhaps eating lunch and drinking cold ice tea on tatami mats as the wind-charm tickles with the slightest vibration. "Still Walking" is a meditation on life and death that may just move you to tears...without even trying.