The Blue Light (2003)

A 17 y.o. Japanese secondary school student is living happily with his mom and sister but one day his stepdad returns, drunk much of the time and cruel to his mom and sister. Is there such a thing as the perfect murder?

Director:

Yukio Ninagawa

Writers:

Yukio Ninagawa (screenplay), Takuya Miyawaki (screenplay)

Stars:

Kazunari Ninomiya, Aya Matsuura, Kumiko Akiyoshi

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kazunari Ninomiya	...	Shuuichi Kushimori
Aya Matsuura	...	Noriko Fukuhara
Kumiko Akiyoshi	...	Yuuko Kushimori
Kansai Yamamoto	...	Ryuji Sone
Baijaku Nakamura	...	Eiji Yamamoto
Anne Suzuki	...	Haruka Kushimori
Naomasa Musaka	...	Masashi Kano
Toshiaki Karasawa	...	Shintaro Kanzaki
Naoto Takenaka	...	Shishobako no Otoko
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mike Han
Yôsuke Kawamura

Storyline

A 17 y.o. Japanese secondary school student is living happily with his mom and sister but one day his stepdad returns, drunk much of the time and cruel to his mom and sister. Is there such a thing as the perfect murder?

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | train | train station | tape recorder | suicide | 

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Romance

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

15 March 2003 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Blue Light

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,443,142

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kadokawa Shoten Publishing Co., Asmik Ace Entertainment, Hakuhodo

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

An amazing film, nothing of what you would expect from the two lead actors

I was really shocked when I saw the film Ao no Honou. Was it because of the plot? No. Because of the subject matter? Not really. The truth was, I was amazed at how well these two pop stars, Nino and Ayaya, could really act. I was expecting, considering the cast consisted of a Hello! Project front girl and a Johnny's Jr. boy, a cute movie about kids in high school. Maybe Kazunari Ninomiya could act a little bit, and maybe Aya Matsuura was thrown in to have a cute face and sing the theme song. Boy was I ever wrong. Ao no Honou dived deep into the psyche of a young man's head, without an obvious voice over theme or very many ways to communicate his thoughts (minus the subtle tape recorder device). It showed what this youth does to protect his family and live his life, but everything he did was natural, from the big, plot-point-esquire actions, to the tiny gestures that Japanese filmmakers are so good at capturing on screen. As the best movies will, Ao no Honou brings you into the movie, and if something shocking, sickening, frightening, depressing, or just tear-worthy happens, you'll feel it. You won't easily forget the face of the talented Ninomiya, either, and don't be surprised if his character's struggles are on your mind for days after watching Ao no Honou.