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Japanese Story

Play trailer Poster for Japanese Story R 2003 1h 45m Romance Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 89 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Sandy (Toni Collette), the co-owner of a software company, is responsible for making sure a Japanese businessman, Hiromitsu Tachibana (Gotaro Tsunashima), is taken care of while they try to work out a possible deal. A power play is immediately set into motion, with Hiromitsu treating Sandy as his subordinate and Sandy accepting it. Their relationship, however, grows much more complicated when they get stuck in the desert with only each other to count on.
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Japanese Story

Japanese Story

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Critics Consensus

An emotional film where Toni Collette gets to show her impressive range.

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Critics Reviews

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Richard Porton Chicago Reader 09/29/2017
Collette's pitch-perfect performance and the stunning evocation of the forbidding and beautiful outback make this film unexpectedly rewarding. Go to Full Review Peter Howell Toronto Star 08/20/2004
2/5
An underdeveloped film that requires all of [Collette's] ample skills merely to rise to the mediocre. Go to Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail 08/20/2004
3/4
Lots of pictures begin strongly only to lose their focus; this one gains momentum with every sequence -- ambivalent at first, we're firmly hooked by the final frame. Go to Full Review James Croot The Post NZ 07/19/2023
4.5/5
Japanese Story is an emotional rollercoaster of a movie that rivals Lantana, Samson & Delilah and Animal Kingdom for the title of the best Australian drama of the 21st century. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 03/18/2013
B-
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed 04/29/2009
A beautiful piece of filmmaking with top notch acting... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alain E @AlainE Oct 9 I am glad I watched this knowing nothing and so what happens was totally unexpected. If we want to assign a deeper meaning we can say that life takes unexpected turns. Enjoy the present! It is well acted and photographed. Personally I thought the use of Japanese music was gimmicky. The main character is played by Collette and she would not have referenced music from a foreign country. Similarly, the voice over at the very end with the male character writing kind of a goodbye letter appears out of nowhere. See more Bill K Aug 16 I remember being very moved when I first saw this movie 22 years ago. I did not expect that it would affect me even more strongly watching it again so many years later. Toni Colette gives a career best performance. The story was so simple and yet so rich. I now consider this to be a personal favorite. So much deeper than the simple story suggests. Bring Kleenex. See more Sandra H 10/04/2024 I love this movie. I wonder what inspired these different details to come together. I cry every time I watch it. Love the japanese actor....ne is so beautiful. See more 02/20/2021 The greatest Japanese-American love story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 03/04/2019 Brilliant moving unexpected See more 12/05/2018 At first glance, Sue Brooks' Japanese Story appears to be an infusion of genre stories: man versus nature, a road trip, and a mismatched romance. However, while there are elements of each ingredient in the movie, Brooks and screenwriter Alison Tilson want the finished product to be a deeper and richer mixture than one might anticipate from considering its parts. In fact, this is not an outback adventure story, but a character piece. Japanese Story looks at isolation and the fragility of human relationships. It's a poignant, unsettling motion picture that will baffle those who have become used to Hollywood's compact, tidy endings. This Australian indie should be on your watchlist.(A fascinating tale on the outback). See more Read all reviews
Japanese Story

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Cast & Crew

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Sue Brooks

Director

Toni Collette

Sandy Edwards

Gotaro Tsunashima

Tachibana Hiromitsu

Matthew Dyktynski

Bill Baird

Lynette Curran

Mum

Yumiko Tanaka

Yukiko Hiromitsu

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Japanese Story

Japanese Story (2003) Japanese Story (2003) Japanese Story (2003) Japanese Story (2003) Japanese Story (2003) Japanese Story (2003) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Sandy (Toni Collette), the co-owner of a software company, is responsible for making sure a Japanese businessman, Hiromitsu Tachibana (Gotaro Tsunashima), is taken care of while they try to work out a possible deal. A power play is immediately set into motion, with Hiromitsu treating Sandy as his subordinate and Sandy accepting it. Their relationship, however, grows much more complicated when they get stuck in the desert with only each other to count on.
Director
Sue Brooks
Producer
Sue Maslin
Screenwriter
Alison Tilson
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company, IDP Distribution
Production Co
Gecko Films
Rating
R (Language|Some Sexuality)
Genre
Romance, Drama
Original Language
Australian English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 19, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$647.1K
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround
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