The Great Passage

2013

2h 14m

Drama

List

Reviews

86%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

An eccentric man in a publishing company, who has unique knowledge of words, joins the team that will compile a new dictionary.

Read More

Read Less

Audience Member

Reading a dictionary is very boring but watching how a dictionary is made isn't boring at all. The performance of Ryuhei Matsuda and Aoi Miyazaki was very award winning. I would say that this is the turning point of Matsuda's career. It's one of the most interesting films up to date. It doesn't have a kissing scene but the definiton of love sank through the bottom of my heart.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A nerdy guy who has no communication skill then falls in love, sounds really cliche, doesn't it. But a nerdy guy who makes dictionary? how many times you watch films about dictionary making. I think that's the real heart of this story, dedication of Majime; how someone who has hard time expressing himself finds peace in world of words and life purpose in it. I also like how it's not about "nerd make over" story, Majime's social skill improved, but he still somehow socially inept (isn't Ryuhei Matsuda really cute). And there are a lot of close up shots of Ryuhei's hands I LOVE THIS FILM.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Quite disappointing, & over-credit, indeed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

After watching a series of extremely gritty offering from Asia, this was a gentle palate cleanser in its quiet beauty. A long journey of making a dictionary is made compelling in this gem of a film. In an era where instant gratification is the norm, what does it mean to commit professionally to something essential but non glamorous? This film answers this in the best possible way. No wonder it swept the Japanese Academy awards and was Japan's submission to the Oscars. Highly recommended.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

very delicate, very charming

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fantastic story, well acted and nerdy. A small crew is tasked with the job of writing a dictionary in a time of burgeoning technology, Added fun seeing this with my husband, who is learning Japanese. It's his favorite film of the fest.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Yûya Ishii

Director

Kumiko Asô

Actor

Chizuru Ikewaki

Actor

Hiroko Isayama

Actor

Kaoru Kobayashi

Actor

Haru Kuroki

Actor

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

View more photos

Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

[Ishii] takes his time telling this warm story of the 15-year creation of a definitive print dictionary, but it's a worthy journey.

Dec 12, 2013

Full Review

Andrew Heskins

easternKicks.com

Yuya Ishii, director of Mitsuko Delivers and Sawako Decides, returns with an enjoyable tale about the compilation of a new dictionary...

Rated: 4/5

Sep 24, 2020

Full Review

Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

Yuya Ishii directs a genuinely Japanese film, in theme, style and pace, in the very difficult task of making the compiling of a dictionary into an entertaining movie

Jan 26, 2020

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

A quiet, patient film that takes place almost entirely within just three locations - the boarding house and the young people's places of work - this is a story that seeks the everlasting within the ephemeral.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 6, 2014

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

An eccentric man in a publishing company, who has unique knowledge of words, joins the team that will compile a new dictionary.

Director: Yûya Ishii
Producer: Miyoshi Kikuchi, Kaho Song
Screenwriter: Kensaku Watanabe
Production Co: TV Tokyo
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Runtime: 2h 14m