Distance | |
---|---|
Directed by | Hirokazu Koreeda |
Produced by | Masayuki Akieda |
Written by | Hirokazu Koreeda |
Starring |
Arata Yusuke Iseya Susumu Terajima Yui Natsukawa |
Cinematography | Yutaka Yamasaki |
Edited by | Hirokazu Koreeda |
Release date
|
May 10, 2001 (France) May 26, 2001 |
Running time
|
132 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Distance is a 2001 film by Japanese director Koreeda Hirokazu, starring Arata, Tadanobu Asano, Iseya Yusuke, Terajima Susumu, and Natsukawa Yui.
Members of a cult, modeled on Aum Shinrikyo, sabotage a city's water supply, then commit mass suicide near the shores of a lake. Family members (the credited cast, minus Asano) of the perpetrators meet at the lake to observe the anniversary of their loved ones' deaths. They meet a former member of the cult (Asano), who had trained for the water sabotage attack but defected at the last minute. He leads them to the cabin he's currently holed up in, where he and the deceased cult members had trained for the attack, and they pass the night reminiscing about those they'd known and lost, shown cinematically through improvised dialogues and flashbacks. Sakata, the aforementioned surviving cult and last to see most of the departed alive, and Atsushi (Arata) interrogate one another about Yûko (played by actress/model Ryo), Atsushi's sister, whom Sakata had asked to run away with him the night before the attack.
Distance has an 80% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.3/10.
This film was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.