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A Pale View of Hills

Play trailer Poster for A Pale View of Hills 2025 2h 3m Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 27 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Desperate to understand her family's past in Japan before her birth, Niki probes her mother, Etsuko, about their time in Nagasaki. Told through flashbacks, Etsuko recounts the tale of a friend she knew long ago.... Spanning the two timelines, the film is a moving and hopeful account of the generational impact of war and tragedy on one family.

Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Mar 17
4/5
It is a fascinating, often moving exploration of Japanese family life in the traumatised, bomb-blasted aftermath of the Second World War. Go to Full Review David Jenkins Little White Lies Mar 17
2/5
The story is not particularly forthright in articulating its themes and ideas, and while that may work in the slow-burn pages of a novel, it just feels contrived and manipulative up there on the screen. Go to Full Review Tara Brady Irish Times Mar 12
3.5/5
It’s a film of visual elegance and melancholic intent, yet it often feels as elusive as the memories it seeks to dramatise. Go to Full Review Antonio Trashorras Fotogramas Jun 29
3/5
...the film occasionally goes overboard in refining its narrative mechanism, so concerned with not 'disappointing' that it ends up feeling somewhat sluggish.[Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Elsa Fernández-Santos El Pais (Spain) Jun 26
Through [the film's] layers, and through the cinematography of Polish photographer Piotr Niemyjski...the viewer internalizes the reconstruction of what they have seen. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Belen Prieto Espinof Jun 26
4/5
The result is a film that unfolds steadily, yet leaves a disquieting echo, not so much for what it shows, but for what it suggests. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Donald S. @DonSpafford53 Apr 21 A very interesting story about a woman and her family after the Nagasaki atomic bomb, and her escape to the UK from a difficult life. A little confusing at times because of a non-linear narrative (flashbacks and flash forwards). See more Read all reviews
A Pale View of Hills

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Cast & Crew

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Kei Ishikawa

Director

Suzu Hirose

Niki

Fumi Nikaidô

Actor

Yô Yoshida

Actor

Camilla Aiko

Actor

Kouhei Matsushita

Actor
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A Pale View of Hills

A Pale View of Hills (2025) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Desperate to understand her family's past in Japan before her birth, Niki probes her mother, Etsuko, about their time in Nagasaki. Told through flashbacks, Etsuko recounts the tale of a friend she knew long ago.... Spanning the two timelines, the film is a moving and hopeful account of the generational impact of war and tragedy on one family.
Director
Kei Ishikawa
Producer
Miyuki Fukuma, Marta Gmosinska
Screenwriter
Kei Ishikawa
Production Co
Bunbuku
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
Japanese
Runtime
2h 3m