My Darling Is a Foreigner (2010)

Set in the Tokyo area, an aspiring Japanese manga writer has a relationship with an American. They live together and they are happy but there is a problem with the relationship. The heroine must do something to heal the rift.

Director:

Kazuaki Ue

Writers:

Saori Oguri (manga), Satomi Ohshima (screenplay) (as Satomi Ôshima)

Stars:

Mao Inoue, Jonathan Sherr, Ryôko Kuninaka

Cast

Credited cast:
Mao Inoue	...	Saori Oguri
Jonathan Sherr	...	Tony Lazlo
Ryôko Kuninaka	...	Mika
Naho Toda	...	Editor of Orange Pop
Jun Kunimura	...	Saori's father
Shinobu Ôtake	...	Saori's mother
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Takumi Bando	...	Kenji
Dante Carver	...	Franco
Yûko Gomyô
Maria Theresa Gow
Patrick Harlan	...	Paul
Masato Irie	...	Editor
Daijiro Kawaoka	...	Shinsuke
Tony László	...	Antoine Dubakony - Priest
Saori Oguri	...	Wedding guest

Storyline

Set in the Tokyo area, an aspiring Japanese manga writer has a relationship with an American. They live together and they are happy but there is a problem with the relationship. The heroine must do something to heal the rift.

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Plot Keywords:

xenophobia | couple | marriage | foreigner | manga artist | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The role of the teacher who teaches Saori English at a school (while Tony and his friends eat sushi) is played by Patrick Harlan. Patrick is a fairly famous Japanese speaking American person who appears a lot on TV in Japan.

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Goofs

When Saori's sister is getting married, the organist's fingers don't match the song being played.

User Reviews

I think the manga is probably better

This film provides a window into cross-cultural romantic difficulties, but the more pointed possibilities are relegated to individual lines of dialogue that can easily get lost in a a "rom- com" haze. As a movie, "My Darling is a Foreigner" is of the type that could well play on the Japanese version of the "Hallmark" channel - a "made for TV" sort of film, best viewed as a cultural artifact rather than a major motion picture with international appeal. The interviews with other cross-cultural couples a la "When Harry Met Sally" are more revealing of the kind of issues that can come up in such relationships; the dramatization of these conflicts in the actual Saori-Tony relationships in the movie are pallid in comparison. The interspersed drawings from Saori's Manga have a freshness that scenes of the coupe frolicking on the beach or making their bed together are the kind of filmmaking clichés that a Woody Allen would have masterfully satirized in a film like "Annie Hall," or "Love and Death."

I sought out as many reviews as I could find to understand the cultural relevance of the plot. It does indeed seem like a burning social issue for Japanese society, and as such, its appeal to a domestic Japanese audience is understandable. I most appreciated the words of a cross- cultural blogger, who suggested that any who choose to criticize "My Darling" view it alongside Sophia Coppola's Oscar-winning "Lost In Translation." As pieces that might have made arguments for cross-cultural sensitivity, they are equally lacking.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

10 April 2010 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Meu Namorado é Estrangeiro

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,020,126

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chubu-nippon Broadcasting Company (CBC), Dentsu, IMJ Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1