Kûki ningyô (2009)

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writers:

Yoshiie Goda (manga)
Hirokazu Koreeda (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 September 2009 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A life-size blow-up doll develops a soul and falls in love with a video store clerk. |

Cast

Du-na Bae	...	Nozomi
Arata	...	Junichi
Itsuji Itao	...	Hideo
Jô Odagiri
Sumiko Fuji
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tasuku Emoto
Mari Hoshino
Ryo Iwamatsu
Tomomi Maruyama
Miu Naraki
Masaya Takahashi
Susumu Terajima
Kimiko Yo

Also Known As:

Air Doll (International: English title)

Runtime:

125 min | Canada:116 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Hong Kong:117 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Hong Kong:IIB

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Engine Film

Japanese poetry used to describe the drama of prostitution really works

It took the Japanese art of poetic allegory, to use an air doll as the metaphorical character that represents a prostitute in real life. The air doll suddenly starts breathing, and becomes a little bit conscious, then escapes form her lifetime slavery of sexual abuse by degenerated and perverted men.

When she meets an old man, who symbolizes the wisdom of manhood, he explains her that getting older is dying, and if she will die alone and with empty soul, it means she was never born and lived in this world, that if she feel emptiness inside her mind, it is because nobody loves her, and she does not love nobody in return.

And the whole movie becomes suddenly not a simpleminded allegory of a freed prostitute character seeking her inborn stolen soul, but discovers the real meaning of life, sharing it with the audience, which is explained basically as the need of her empty soul to be filled by the soul of someone else to share everything together, like Love trough Human Touch, to live and to share life as a real human being.

This film is wonderfully executed for mature audience, where finally you do not see the hyper realistic characters of decadent realife living dead prostitutes, or the grotesque sick minded allegories of prostitution world. This film is a real intellectually refreshing experience that will not let you understand the real lenght of the film.

And if your children are somehow very emotionally unstable, you can let them watch this movie too, they will receive the notion of the subject in a very light and intelligent way.