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Dear Stranger

Play trailer Poster for Dear Stranger 2025 2h 18m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 8 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
Kenji, a Japanese man, and Jane, his Taiwanese-American wife, live in New York while secretly harboring their own struggles. Kenji is an assistant professor of architecture desperately trying to secure tenure before time runs out. Jane juggles household duties and childcare while unable to fully abandon her career as a puppeteer. Furthermore, they're both tormented by a certain "past" they've never discussed. When their young son Kai goes missing, they're forced to confront each other's true feelings and secrets.

Critics Reviews

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Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Oct 13
3/5
Grapples with big themes in interesting ways. Go to Full Review Siddhant Adlakha JoySauce.com Oct 8
At times obvious and overt. And yet, its conception as a tale of language and suppressed secrets lends itself to these broad strokes, and allows its actors to dig gradually deeper into surprisingly complex notions of identity. Go to Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Movie Buff Sep 26
C+
Mariko’s film doesn’t solve the riddle of love across cultures or languages, but it lingers like the memory of a conversation you wish you’d managed to finish. Go to Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse Sep 25
6,5
Dear Stranger has its issues, and perhaps Mariko could have exercised more restraint in the scope of his story. Yet in the end, the work provides a thought-provoking and emotionally intense exploration of a shattering family and its losses Go to Full Review Pieter-Jan Van Haecke Psychocinematography Sep 24
With Dear Stranger, Tetsuya Mariko re-affirms himself as a master of raw emotion. Go to Full Review Sebastian Zavala Kahn Cinencuentro Sep 19
3/5
This is a film that never feels tedious or simplistic, but within its considerable ambitions, it never quite gels. In other words, it's easier to admire than truly enjoy. [Full review in Spanish]. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Dear Stranger

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Tetsuya Mariko

Director

Hidetoshi Nishijima

Kenji

Lun-Mei Gwei

Jane

Julian Wang

Actor

Christopher Mann

Actor

Everest Talde

Actor
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Dear Stranger

Dear Stranger (2025) Dear Stranger (2025) Dear Stranger (2025) Dear Stranger (2025) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Kenji, a Japanese man, and Jane, his Taiwanese-American wife, live in New York while secretly harboring their own struggles. Kenji is an assistant professor of architecture desperately trying to secure tenure before time runs out. Jane juggles household duties and childcare while unable to fully abandon her career as a puppeteer. Furthermore, they're both tormented by a certain "past" they've never discussed. When their young son Kai goes missing, they're forced to confront each other's true feelings and secrets.
Director
Tetsuya Mariko
Producer
Eisei Shu, Naoya Takahashi, Ying Liang, Julia Xu
Screenwriter
Tetsuya Mariko
Production Co
Roji Films
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
2h 18m