The World of Kanako (2014)

As former detective Akikazu searches for his missing daughter, Kanako, he soon learns she has a mysterious secret life.

Director:

Tetsuya Nakashima

Writers:

Akio Fukamachi (based on the novel by), Tetsuya Nakashima (screenplay)

Stars:

Kôji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kôji Yakusho	...	Akikazu Fujishima
Nana Komatsu	...	Kanako Fujishima
Satoshi Tsumabuki	...	Detective Asai
Hiroya Shimizu	...	I / narrator
Fumi Nikaidô	...	Nami Endo (Kanako's ex-middle school classmate)
Ai Hashimoto	...	Emi Morishita (Kanako's high school friend)
Jun Kunimura	...	Dr.Tsujimura
Joe Odagiri	...	Detective Aikawa
Miki Nakatani	...	Rie Azuma
Aoi Morikawa	...	Tomoko Nagano
Munetaka Aoki	...	Sakiyama
Asuka Kurosawa	...	Kiriko Fujishima
Mahiro Takasugi	...	Yasuhiro Matsunaga
Shôno Hayama	...	Boy with blonde hair
Hiroki Nakajima	...	Shimazu

Storyline

Kanako, a beautiful girl and one of the best students at school, goes missing with all the belongings left behind in her room. Her father Akikazu is now asked by his ex-wife to look for their daughter. He starts a desperate search of Kanako using any means, in the hope of getting his "ideal" family back in place despite the fact that the very reason of the family breakup was because of his problematic personality and behaviors. Following tracks of her past and present and talking to her "friends," he starts to get to know his daughter whom he never knew or didn't even attempt to know. When Akikazu is led to one clue, he realizes the world Kanako was facing beyond his imagination... Can the father find his daughter, and get back his perfect happy family he has dreamed of after all these years?

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Plot Keywords:

japanese high school girl | female nudity | rape | wench | dysfunctional family | 

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Taglines:

Shock Therapy Entertainment.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Toho Company refused to make this film.

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Connections

References Kojak (1973)

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Soundtracks

Under the Sky
Written by 'Yasushi Sasamoto'
Performed by 'Yasushi Sasamoto'

User Reviews

A hole so deep you keep falling...

A jaded Japanese detective reevaluates his faded memories of his estranged teenage daughter when asked by his ex-wife to investigate her disappearance in this one-of-a-kind crime drama directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. The film is assembled with a very vibrant visual style that varies from rapid fire edits to bouts of animation to slow paced, leisurely shots that bask in the beauty of Christmas lights. The film also begins in a curious anti-narrative manner as the protagonist's memories are mixed with clips of his daughter partying and the police quizzing him. Narrative point-of-view is also broken for several flashbacks told from his daughter's boyfriend's perspective. Given the plot and stylistic touches, the film is perhaps best described as 'Kill Bill' meets 'The Third Man' and it gets points for originality alone. The dialogue is full of philosophical quips too about how some of us are not "cut out to be a human being" and how easy it is "to fall into a hole so deep" that you keep falling. Yet, for all its daringness and intelligence, the film does not entirely work. The actual solution to the girl's disappearance is mundane and the value of all the red herrings is debatable, especially the question mark placed over the true nature of his relationship to his daughter, but it does cause one to think. The ultimate messages at hand are relatively simple (not everyone is who you think they are; some vices in life are dangerous), however, the emotional roller-coaster is a hard experience to shake. This is an effective film in that it gets you in the protagonist's mind and forces you to question how you would react. The Harry Lime dynamic also works well with a protagonist as naïve as Holly Martins. This is not however the easiest film under the sun to endure.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

4 December 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

The World of Kanako

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,834, 6 December 2015

Gross USA:

$16,627

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,627,892

Company Credits

Production Co:

GAGA, GyaO, Licri

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1