Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004)

While searching for his fiancee Ritsuko, Sakutarou rediscovers through flashbacks the void deep within him caused by the events from his high school days.

Director:

Isao Yukisada

Writers:

Kyouichi Katayama (novel), Yûji Sakamoto (screenplay)

Stars:

Takao Ohsawa, Ko Shibasaki, Masami Nagasawa

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takao Ohsawa	...	Sakutaro Matsumoto
Ko Shibasaki	...	Ritsuko Fujimura (as Kô Shibasaki)
Masami Nagasawa	...	Aki Hirose
Mirai Moriyama	...	Sakutaro Matsumoto (High School)
Tsutomu Yamazaki	...	Shigezou Matsumoto
Kankurô Kudô	...	Ryunosuke Ooki
Kanji Tsuda	...	Johnny
Issey Takahashi	...	Ryunosuke (high school student) (as Issei Takahashi)
Rio Kanno	...	Ritsuko (girl)
Tetta Sugimoto	...	Aki's Father
Katsutaka Furuhata	...	Johnny (high school)
Kenta Uchino	...	Classmate
Aki Nishihara	...	Classmate
Masaru Miyazaki	...	Classmate
Marie Kawaguchi	...	Classmate

Storyline

In 1980s Kyushu, two teenagers fell in love, and exchanged their secrets and thoughts by way of sending tape recordings to each other. More than a decade later, the boy (now grown-up and bittered) rediscovers the last recording of his long-dead lover's voice. Her words trigger a series of flashbacks illustrating the joyful beginning and tragic end of their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

flashback | fiancee | love | athletic girl | flirtatious woman | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese English

Release Date:

8 May 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Crying Out Love in the Center of the World

Filming Locations:

Kagoshima, Japan

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,938,018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toho Company, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), Hakuhodo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sekai no Chushin de, Ai wo Sakebu, a Japanese romance novel by Katayama Kyoichi, sold over 3 million copies in Japan alone.

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Connections

References Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

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Soundtracks

Ave Maria
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach
Arranged by Charles Gounod

User Reviews

Bring a Kleenex or ten

There's no doubt about it, this one is a tear-jerker, solely designed to push the buttons as hard as it can to affect the audiences emotion. Teenage love, making past wrongs right, the death of a lover, typhoons, it's all here. And what's most amazing is that, for the most part, the movie does it. Always hovering on the edge of cliché, but never tipping over, "Crying Out Love" essentially works.

The story is told in two parts, flashing back and forwards often. One involves young Sakutaro who begins a relationship with the cute as a button Aki Hirose at a time in both of their lives when puppy love is turning into something real. The second is Sakutaro about fifteen years later, trying to come to terms with the loss of that relationship which he never quite recovered from. And his new girlfriend, Ritusko has a secret.

Without giving away too much, that first story works. And, boy, does it. It is inter-cut beautifully with older Sakutaro remembering and searching for meaning. You know exactly where it's going, but the thrill is in the journey here, and it captures the explosiveness and pain of first love and the same of young loss.

The second story, however, falls apart. After the first one ends, some loose ends are left to be connected, and they are, perfunctorily and ham-fistedly. And the actual finale, while far from ruining the film, adds nothing to the emotional power of the majority of the film.