Cottontail

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2:06

Cottontail

2024

1h 34m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

92%

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13 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

After the death of his wife, Kenzaburo (60s) and his son Toshi (30s) receive an unexpected letter from beyond the grave. Akiko, their wife and mother, asks them to scatter her ashes at the place she loved most as a child -- Lake Windermere in England. Surprised by this unexpected request, father and son are initially at loggerheads over their next steps. The two men, along with Toshi's wife Satsuki and young daughter Emi, eventually travel together to England from Tokyo to fulfil Akiko's final wish. But Kenzaburo keeps losing himself in memories of Akiko as his relationship with Toshi becomes increasingly fraught. With little knowledge of where he is going and barely any English, Kenzaburo abandons his family in London and heads to the Lake District on his own with Akiko's ashes. As he embarks on his quest, his memories of Akiko grow more painful. A lost and weary Kenzaburo stumbles onto the doorstep of a farmer, John, and his daughter Mary. With their help, Kenzaburo is finally able to set course once again toward Lake Windemere. But his true journey toward forgiveness and reconciliation will prove the hardest of all.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

02/18/2025

4/5

A delicate gem of a film, with a powerhouse turn from Franky.

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Josh Slater-Williams

Little White Lies

02/12/2025

3/5

Much of its success is down to the gradually heartbreaking performance of the ever-reliable Franky, a regular star for Hirokazu Koreeda.

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Ryan Gilbey

Guardian

02/11/2025

3/5

The curse of Beatrix Potter-associated cinema is lifted, at least temporarily, by the debut feature from Patrick Dickinson, even if his picture’s relationship to Potter’s work is purely tangential.

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Dave Golder

Radio Times

02/11/2025

4/5

The first full-length feature from documentary film-maker Patrick Dickinson has a beguiling, low-key charm and he effectively creates an almost fragile, impressionistic atmosphere.

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Katie Smith-Wong

Flick Feast

02/10/2025

3/5

Dickinson's foray into narrative feature filmmaking sees him handle quite heavy emotive elements buoyed by Franky's tender performance yet the film doesn't feel as impactful as it can be.

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Daniel M. Kimmel

North Shore Movies

07/16/2024

3/5

COTTONTAIL is a poignant tale of a Japanese widower taking his wife’s ashes to England on a final journey. Mostly, but not entirely, in Japanese with subtitles, it is about love and regret and trying to renew family bonds.

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Cicely L

@RT99902184 02/17/2025

A gentle pace, but compelling due to the excellent script, direction and beautiful acting. I enjoyed the insights into Japanese culture, though the themes are universal. A great contrast between busy pressured urban life in Tokyo, and the peaceful reflective calm of the Lake District. Sad, and as in all good films, some questions are left to the viewer’s interpretation, but I found this lovely film ultimately very uplifting.

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r. w

@RT95486313 12/27/2024

slow but not tedious...a touching, emotional story, I shed a few tears through it. Much of it in Japanese (with subtitles but very easily followed and definitely not a 'negative'!)...Kind of reminded me of a foreign version of 'The Notebook'. Highly recommended!

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Scott H

@RT68203081 09/30/2024

Beautifully paced and well scripted.

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Jamie H

@RT40086991 06/12/2024

Beautiful and incredibly emotional movie with fantastic performances.

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Patrick Dickinson

Director

Lily Franky

Kenzaburo

Ryô Nishikido

Toshi

Tae Kimura

Akiko

Rin Takanashi

Satsuki

Yuri Tsunematsu

Akiko (Young)

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After Love

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Fear

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Identifying Features

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Cottontail: Trailer 1

2:06

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Synopsis

After the death of his wife, Kenzaburo (60s) and his son Toshi (30s) receive an unexpected letter from beyond the grave. Akiko, their wife and mother, asks them to scatter her ashes at the place she loved most as a child -- Lake Windermere in England. Surprised by this unexpected request, father and son are initially at loggerheads over their next steps. The two men, along with Toshi's wife Satsuki and young daughter Emi, eventually travel together to England from Tokyo to fulfil Akiko's final wish. But Kenzaburo keeps losing himself in memories of Akiko as his relationship with Toshi becomes increasingly fraught. With little knowledge of where he is going and barely any English, Kenzaburo abandons his family in London and heads to the Lake District on his own with Akiko's ashes. As he embarks on his quest, his memories of Akiko grow more painful. A lost and weary Kenzaburo stumbles onto the doorstep of a farmer, John, and his daughter Mary. With their help, Kenzaburo is finally able to set course once again toward Lake Windemere. But his true journey toward forgiveness and reconciliation will prove the hardest of all.

Director: Patrick Dickinson
Producer: Gabrielle Tana, Kôsuke Oshida, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Hélène Théodoly
Screenwriter: Patrick Dickinson
Distributor: Level 33 Entertainment
Production Co: Magnolia Mae Films, Office Shirous, Brouhaha Entertainment, Written Rock Film, MBK Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 7, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 9, 2024
Runtime: 1h 34m