Ritual (2000)

A disillusioned filmmaker has an encounter with a young girl who has a ritual of repeating "Tomorrow is my birthday" everyday. He tries to communicate with her through his video camera.

Director:

Hideaki Anno

Writers:

Hideaki Anno (screenplay), Ayako Fujitani (novel)

Stars:

Shunji Iwai, Ayako Fujitani, Jun Murakami

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Shunji Iwai	...	Director
Ayako Fujitani	...	She
Jun Murakami	...	Bicycle man
Shinobu Ôtake	...	Her mother
Suzuki Matsuo	...	Man (voice)
Megumi Hayashibara	...	Woman (voice)

Storyline

A disillusioned filmmaker has an encounter with a young girl who has a ritual of repeating "Tomorrow is my birthday" everyday. He tries to communicate with her through his video camera.

---

Plot Keywords:

bathtub | umbrella | train tracks | filmmaker | leg | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shiki-jitsu is based on the autobiographical nouvella "Tohimu" written by Ayako Fujitani (who plays the leading role).

User Reviews

Wow.

I must say, I was really not expecting this film... I gave this film a view without any idea of the plot or basic info to back it up and I finished the film with an uncomfortable feeling. From a personal perspective I can assure you this isn't simply the story of a "crazy" girl and a washed out filmmaker...this is the story of a profoundly sorrowed girl and exploring how she deals with this sorrow in her day to day life. The reason she may not have jumped that ledge on the roof may very well be due to those lies she kept telling herself and her whole "ritual", she only needed someone to appreciate her and stay with her and teach her life isn't as painful as she was brought up thinking it was.

I can't believe how well fujitani played this role...As someone else mentioned, why hasn't she done more film? She was even TOO convincing in her role...I could have filled a litre of water with my tears.

The uber-emotional plot and performances aside, the visuals were equally wonderful, especially her "secret" basement filled with red umbrellas, water, and her bathtub. I haven't seen such unique and beautiful set designs for a while.

I'll wrap this up...AMAZING movie 10/10 getting a DVD copy soon, i HAVE to. You definitely HAVE to watch this movie.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

7 December 2000 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Ritual

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio Kajino Company, Tokuma Shoten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1