At the end of Meiji era a young student befriend an older man who as a proof of trust but also as a kind of exorcism entrust him his secret, a story about jealousy, betrayal, shame and guilt.
Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Masayuki Mori | ... | Nobuchi | |
Michiyo Aratama | ... | Nobuchi's wife | |
Tatsuya Mihashi | ... | Kaji | |
Shôji Yasui | ... | Hioki | |
Tanie Kitabayashi | ... | Hioki's mother | |
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Akiko Tamura | ... | Widow |
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Mutsuhiko Tsurumaru | ... | Hioki's father |
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Tsutomu Shimomoto | ... | Hioki's elder brother |
Masami Shimojô | ... | Broker | |
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Akira Hisamatsu | ... | Travelling monk |
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Tomoko Naraoka | ... | Kume |
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Zenji Yamada | ... | Nobuchi's uncle |
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Keiji Itami | ... | Kaji's father |
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Kiyoshi Kamoda | ... | Doctor |
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Nobuo Kawakami | ... | Undertaker |
At the end of Meiji era a young student befriend an older man who as a proof of trust but also as a kind of exorcism entrust him his secret, a story about jealousy, betrayal, shame and guilt.
Kokoro is a dark, cruel drama which I found as a non-Japanese difficult to appreciate totally. Maybe it is difficult for a Japanese too. Certainly it is an extremely powerful film, beautifully acted and well-worth seeing. It is the sort of movie that I will want to see again and again, though it is not light viewing. Ibsen comes to early twentieth century Japan. Highly recommended if you are not prone to depression.