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Dear Stranger

Play trailer Poster for Dear Stranger 2025 2h 18m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Movie Buff 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. Rated: C+ Sep 26, 2025 Full Review Panos Kotzathanasis Asian Movie Pulse 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 Rated: 6,5 Sep 25, 2025 Full Review Pieter-Jan Van Haecke Psychocinematography With Dear Stranger, Tetsuya Mariko re-affirms himself as a master of raw emotion. Sep 24, 2025 Full Review Sebastian Zavala Kahn Cinencuentro 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]. Rated: 3/5 Sep 19, 2025 Full Review Srijoni Rudra Digital Mafia Talkies Fascinating Ideas, But Too Cluttered And Disjointed To Savour Sep 19, 2025 Full Review Mark Schilling Japan Times The film’s intensity of feeling can hit hard and true. But next time around, Mariko might consider making a film more revealing of his very real talent, in a setting closer to home. Rated: 2/5 Sep 18, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Tetsuya Mariko

Director

Hidetoshi Nishijima

Actor

Lun-Mei Gwei

Actor

Julian Wang

Actor

Christopher Mann

Actor

Everest Talde

Actor
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Dear Stranger

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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
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Runtime
2h 18m