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Maborosi

Play trailer Poster for Maborosi Released Sep 6, 1995 1h 49m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Despite her outwardly happy and tranquil life as a wife and new mother, Yukimo (Makiko Esumi) is regularly troubled by a horrific nightmare about the death of her grandmother. When tragedy strikes her husband, Ikuo (Tadanobu Asano), the stress forces Yukimo into hermit-like solitude until a kindly widower (Takashi Naitô) attempts to draw her from her shell. This is the first scripted film by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, who had previously been been known for his documentaries.
Maborosi

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Critics Consensus

An understated examination of grief, Maboroshi is a deeply moving drama thanks to Koreeda's patient direction and achingly naturalistic performances by its impressive ensemble.

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Critics Reviews

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Mark Sinker Sight & Sound The camera rarely moves and yet there are images here as strikingly lovely as any you've seen and others as sweetly alive. Apr 26, 2019 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian It is a sombre and painful drama, enacted with reserve. Rated: 4/5 Apr 24, 2019 Full Review Bilge Ebiri Village Voice Each character moves and speaks differently, shining with the complex inner life of a real person with real needs, real memories, real thoughts. Jul 21, 2018 Full Review CJ Sheu Critics at Large It's a very Japanese understanding of suicide: as not bluntly tragic or a waste, but alluring, mysterious, not subject to total comprehension ... the state of grief itself. Jun 30, 2020 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A film of feelings and textures that establishes character without the need for traditional plot structures. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 3, 2019 Full Review Amber Wilkinson Eye for Film Generally, this film engages more intellectually with emotion than Kore-eda's later more heartfelt work. Rated: 3.5/5 May 2, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (99) audience reviews
Kathy D Beautiful cinematography, but extremely slow with many long shots that seemed to go on and on. Many reviews say the main character was happy and in love with her 2nd husband, but I don't agree. She cared for that man, but was not in love with him, and not reconciled with her 1st first husband's suicide (if it was such) even at the end of the film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/03/23 Full Review acsdoug D Promising premise, but nothing really happens, not even any real drama. It's just a series of subdued and at times bleak set pieces that don't really go anywhere. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/09/23 Full Review Alvise F The delicacy with which Kore-eda approaches the theme of mourning is masterful. The depth that "Maboroshi" reaches with its natural simplicity is an exemplary proof of the talent and sensitivity of an author who from then on will be considered "the modern Ozu". From Ozu, in fact, he inherits the de-dramatization structure and the narrative ellipsis; but Kore-eda is also influenced by the approach to cinema of the Taiwanese Nouvelle Vague, particularly Hou Hsiao-hsien's work and the aesthetics of its intimacy. The protagonists move in the surrounding environment with a light and cautious step, as if suspended in the void, creating a subdued and melancholy ethereal world. The very few close-ups help to keep a discreet and gentle look on the characters who wander in a time and a space that seem to be the border between life and death. A parable about the frailty of time, which is realized, for example, in the allegorical figure of an alarm clock and a light bulb on a table, which is a perfect example of "mono no aware" (物の哀れ), the Japanese aesthetics that enhances the "pathos of things", or rather, the "empathy toward things". The dignified suffering is a muffled scream lost on the open sea. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/22/22 Full Review Audience Member I saw this movie in 1995 and It was the worst, there's a scene that nothings happens for what it seems to be ages. I love fine cinema, however this movie is just a waste of film. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member My favorite movie, I've watched it countless times. I'm a big Ozu and Fellini fan, and consider those two the best- but in Maborosi, Kore Eda matches them. It took years to fully appreciate this film, which goes very deep. This remains the most beautiful film I can think of, some scenes just jaw dropping in beauty and sensitivity. I've seen most of Kore Eda's films, and this, his first, beats them all. Stunning and sensitive, yet a portrait of ordinary life in most ways. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review ikiru y As other reviewers have noted this is a very visual, artistic sort of movie. Not much character development or plot, more like snippets of life. A "tone poem." Beautiful to look at, but ultimately not very engaging. Very art house. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Maborosi

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis Despite her outwardly happy and tranquil life as a wife and new mother, Yukimo (Makiko Esumi) is regularly troubled by a horrific nightmare about the death of her grandmother. When tragedy strikes her husband, Ikuo (Tadanobu Asano), the stress forces Yukimo into hermit-like solitude until a kindly widower (Takashi Naitô) attempts to draw her from her shell. This is the first scripted film by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda, who had previously been been known for his documentaries.
Director
Hirokazu Koreeda
Producer
Naoe Gozu
Screenwriter
Yoshihisa Ogita, Teru Miyamoto
Distributor
Milestone Film & Video
Production Co
TV Man Union
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 6, 1995, Original
Runtime
1h 49m