Restless (I) (2011)

The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writer:

Jason Lew

Stars:

Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Ryo Kase

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Hopper	...	Enoch Brae
Mia Wasikowska	...	Annabel Cotton
Ryo Kase	...	Hiroshi Takahashi
Schuyler Fisk	...	Elizabeth Cotton
Lusia Strus	...	Rachel Cotton
Jane Adams	...	Mabel
Paul Parson	...	Edward
Thomas Lauderdale	...	Minister
Christopher D. Harder	...	Funeral Director
Morgan Lee	...	Driver
Kenneth L. Peterson	...	CT Technician
William J. Eggleston	...	X-Ray Technician (as William Eggleston)
Chin Han	...	Dr. Lee
Jhon Goodwin	...	Nurse Goodwin (as John Goodwin)
Kelleen Crawford	...	Nurse Laura

Storyline

Annabel is a terminally ill cancer patient and is quietly awaiting her death spending her time studying nature. Enoch is struggling to recover from the death of his parents and spends his time attending funerals with his only friend - a ghost named Hiroshi who was a WWII Japanese kamikaze pilot. Just as Annabel's sister is trying to cope with Annabel's impending death, Annabel and Enoch fall in love. They both finally have a reason to live, but is it too late to have a life together?

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Plot Keywords:

death | funeral | kamikaze | ghost | japanese | 

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Taglines:

Who do you live for?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 2011 (Egypt)

Also Known As:

Untitled Gus Van Sant Project

Filming Locations:

Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$15,467 (USA) (16 September 2011)

Gross:

$163,141 (USA) (16 December 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, 360 Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie's first-time screenwriter Jason Lew and (co-producer) Bryce Dallas Howard attended New York University together and it was there that Lew first wrote the story as a play. Howard, who had acted in plays with Lew, got a peek at the story and encouraged him to write it as a screenplay.

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Quotes

Hiroshi Takahashi: As I write this letter, the ocean breeze feels cool on my skin. That very ocean is soon to be my grave. They tell me I will die a hero. That the safety and honor of my country will be the reward for my sacrifice. I pray they are right. My only regret in life is never telling you how I feel. I wish I were back home. I wish I were holding your hand. I wish I were telling you that I have loved you, and only you, since I was a boy. But I'm not. I see now that death is easy. It is love that is hard....

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: Mientras Duermes, Contagio, Sin Salida (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Twenty-Four Robbers"
Written and Performed by Fats Waller and his Rhythm

User Reviews

'About the hospital. I don't work there. I am a patient.'

Gus Van Sant probably understands the minds of youngsters better than any director around and he proves it again in this rhapsodic film about loss and love and loss again. His cast is so well selected that they seem to be an ensemble from a stage company, so well integrated are their relationships in this beautiful film written by Jason Lew.

Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper, son of Dennis Hopper, and a very fine actor) survived a car accident in which his parents were killed: he remained in a coma and missed their funeral and the chance to in some way say goodbye. Living with his Aunt Mabel (Jane Adams), he now spends his days not attending school but instead going to strangers' funerals. One funeral organizer (Christopher D. Harder) notices his repeated appearances and tries to have him arrested for trespassing but he is saved by a strange girl named Annabel (Mia Wasikowska in a brilliant performance). Annabel also attends funerals: she tells Enoch that she works with children with cancer at a hospital. Enoch is wary of making friends - his only ally being a Japanese kamikaze pilot ghost Hiroshi Takahashi (Ryo Kase) with whom he talks about everything. But gradually Enoch and Annabel bond and Annabel reveals to Enoch that she doesn't work with 'cancer kids', she is one - she has brain cancer and is on short-term time. Annabel's sister Elizabeth (Schyler Fisk) and mother Rachel (Luisa Strus) accept Enoch's growing supportive love for Annabel. As Enoch grows form his experience with Annabel he no longer needs the presence of his ghost or his need for attending funerals and instead spends his time giving Annabel the best three months (remaining) of her life. How the story draws to an end is so enchanting that to share it would deprive the viewer of the magic of this film.

This is one of those perfect little films that glow in the heart. Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper create such memorable characters that once seen they will never be forgotten. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp