Earthquake Bird (2019)

An enigmatic translator with a dark past is brought in for questioning after an ex-pat friend, who came between her and her photographer boyfriend, ends up missing and presumed dead.

Director:

Wash Westmoreland

Writers:

Susanna Jones (based on the novel by), Wash Westmoreland (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Alicia Vikander, Kiki Sukezane, Kenichi Masuda

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alicia Vikander	...	Lucy Fly
Kiki Sukezane	...	Natsuko
Kenichi Masuda	...	Mr. Yamada
Chiaki Kawamo	...	Policewoman
Ken Yamamura	...	Det. Oguchi
Kazuhiro Muroyama	...	Det. Kameyama
Naoki Kobayashi	...	Teiji Matsuda
Akiko Iwase	...	Ms. Katoh
Yoshiko Sakuma	...	Mrs. Yamamoto
Naomi Urushibara	...	Ms. Ide
Jack Huston	...	Bob Johnson
Riley Keough	...	Lily Bridges
Tomoyasu Sakata	...	Karaoke Singer
Shôzô Sasaki	...	Noodle Shop Owner (as Shozo Sasaki)
Chiaki Yamamoto	...	Teiji's Aunt (Younger)

Storyline

In 1989 Tokyo, Lucy Fly, an enigmatic expat haunted by a painful past, enters into an intense relationship with Teiji, a handsome yet similarly troubled local photographer. Lucy's imperturbable exterior begins to crack when a naive newcomer, Lily Bridges, becomes entangled in their lives and ends up missing - suspected dead.

---

Plot Keywords:

male nudity | male rear nudity | female nudity | bare breasts | male full frontal nudity | 

---

Taglines:

Look Beyond What You See

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality, full nudity, violence and brief language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a Nov. 2019 interview with Harper's Bizarre, Alicia Vikander said she has no problem with onscreen nudity, but she told the production crew on Earthquake Bird and her other films that she will only allow one take during sex scenes so she isn't laying around nude in front of them for hours at a time. "I'm lucky to say that all of my sex scenes throughout my career have been nothing but technical. I probably did my first sex scene at 20 and it's always been technical, as it should be; it should never be anything but technical. I tell the crew it's a one-taker. That way, everybody on set is on point, because you have to get it done in one take. Like a dancer, we [choreographed it] the same way. I think that's the way to do it because then everyone feels comfortable and then hopefully, although it is super strange and uncomfortable, a little magic comes through a lens and people will be convinced."

---

Goofs

When Teiji takes the two photos out of the drying plate they are face up. They would be face down in reality, the face of the photos in contact with the steel plate which glazes them as they dry.

---

Quotes

Lucy Fly: [having just met] Just trying to make conversation.
Teiji: Why?
Lucy Fly: Because that's what normal people do.
Teiji: But you are not normal.
Lucy Fly: Neither are you.
Teiji: So let's not pretend to be.
Lucy Fly: Okay.

---

Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Streaming Releases in November 2019 (2019)

---

Soundtracks

Kitten Heel
Written and Performed by Micko Westmoreland
Courtesy of Landline Records

User Reviews

Beautiful Movie

Do not be fooled by the rating. Not slow or boring as others have mentioned unless your favourite movie is The Avengers. This is an elegant film.

Details

Country:

UK Japan USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

15 November 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Earthquake Bird

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Scott Free Productions, Twenty First City

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1