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IMDbPro

Harmful Insect

Original title: Gaichû
  • 20012001
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
911
YOUR RATING
Harmful Insect (2001)
Drama
Following the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.Following the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.Following the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
911
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Akihiko Shiota
  • Writer
    • Kiyono Yayoi
  • Stars
    • Aoi Miyazaki
    • Seiichi Tanabe
    • Tetsu Sawaki
  • Director
    • Akihiko Shiota
  • Writer
    • Kiyono Yayoi
  • Stars
    • Aoi Miyazaki
    • Seiichi Tanabe
    • Tetsu Sawaki
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 3 nominations

    Photos

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    Top cast

    Edit
    Aoi Miyazaki
    Aoi Miyazaki
    • Sachiko Kita
    Seiichi Tanabe
    Seiichi Tanabe
    • Ogata
    Tetsu Sawaki
    • Takao
    Ryô Amamiya
    • Tokugawa
    Koji Ishikawa
    • Kyuzo
    Yû Aoi
    Yû Aoi
    • Natsuko
    Yûsuke Iseya
    Yûsuke Iseya
    • Cofeeshop Guy
    Ryô
    Ryô
    • Toshiko Kita
    Yûsaku Suzuki
    • Hanasaka
    Yuri Yoneoka
    • Soko
    Yuria Haga
    • Rumi
    Mihoko Handa
    • Yukiko
    Takayo Mimura
    • Kazumi
    Kenjirô Ishimaru
    • Middle-Aged Man in Convenience Store
    Hôka Kinoshita
    • Truck Driver
    Ken Mitsuishi
    • Man with Cell Phone
    Megumi Miwa
    • Tae
    Yuriko Ohnuma
    • Natsuko's Mother
    • (as Yuriko Onuma)
    • Director
      • Akihiko Shiota
    • Writer
      • Kiyono Yayoi
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Yû Aoi's debut.

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    a bleak and fascinating portrait of alienation
    Harmful Insect is one of those magnificent films that makes the most extreme behavior comprehensible. It's a portrait of intense alienation, centering on a seventh-grade school-girl. Sachiko lives her life surrounded by adults who are at best ineffectual and at worst (and they are very often at their worse) predatory.

    Director Akihiko Shiota does not shy away from the dark, but the film is neither exploitative nor gratuitously gruesome. It is bleak and powerful, and the moments of hope, happiness, and humor stand out all the brighter for the vividness with which Sachiko's psychological isolation is portrayed.
    helpful•25
    0
    • Lagomorph
    • Apr 1, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 16, 2002 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Вредное насекомое
    • Production companies
      • Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)
      • Sony PCL
      • Nikkatsu
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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