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:

Is his daughter a monster?

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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

Everybody Loves Somebody
Written by Sam Coslow , Irving Taylor and Ken Lane
Performed by Dean Martin
licensed by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.

User Reviews

Tsunami of Discomfort

Perhaps one of the most nauseating films I have laid my eyes on, "World of Kanako" is certainly not for everyone. The Japanese psyche is an enigmatic one for outsiders like me, as the country seems to be an epitome of an outside appearance of civility combined with an internal repression of schizophrenic darkness.

I can't imagine a movie like this playing in neighborhood movie theaters in America, but then again, most of those movies are vanilla time-fillers anyway. "World.." is an extremely unpleasant movie and will leave a bad taste in your mouth, kind of like what Tarantino would make if he was high on crack and decided "the hell with you." One thing I will say is that this movie is "memorable."

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