Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox film Template:Nihongo is 2011 Japanese drama film based on the manga series of the same name by Minoru Furuya[1] and directed by Sion Sono.[1][2] The word himizu is the Japanese name for a species of mole. The film competed in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in September.[3] At the festival, Shōta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidō received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor and Actress for their work in the film.[4]
Cast
- Shōta Sometani as Yuichi Sumida
- Fumi Nikaidō as Keiko Shazawa
- Megumi Kagurazaka
- Asuka Kurosawa
- Denden
- Mitsuru Fukikoshi
- Tetsu Watanabe
- Makiko Watanabe
- Ken Mitsuishi
- Jun Murakami
- Yōsuke Kubozuka as Teruhiko
- Yuriko Yoshitaka as Miki
- Takahiro Nishijima as You
- Anne Suzuki as Waitress
Production
Development
The director Sion Sono had already written the film's script when the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on 11 March 2011.[5] After this disaster, he decided to rewrite the script to adapt the film to this disaster.[5]
Casting
The lead stars of the film were officially announced on 10 June 2011.[6] The lead actor for the film is Shōta Sometani, who plays the role of Sumida, a 15-year-old who suffers from the violence that his father inflicted onto him.[5] Actress Fumi Nikaidō his co-star, plays Chazawa, a rich girl who is Sumida's classmate.[6]
Additional cast members of the film are Yōsuke Kubozuka, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Anne Suzuki and singer Takahiro Nishijima.[7] Actress Yoshitaka previously starred in the 2006 film Noriko's Dinner Table,[7] which was also directed by Sion Sono.[8] Nishijima is from the music group AAA,[7] and also previously starred in Sion Sono's 2009 award-winning film Love Exposure.[9]
Filming
Most of the filming took place at a special set in Ibaraki Prefecture during May 2011.[6]
Reception
Critical reception
Himizu currently holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[10] The film was a New York Times Critics' Pick, with Miriam Bale praising its sound design and noting Sono "uses sound, a low, grumbling noise like an earthquake, to convey [dystopian Japan]. He also gives the film a harrowing cacophony and a sense of trauma with sound effects, including subtle echoes."[11] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter criticized the film as being "fraught with brutal violence and needless repetition that draws out its two-hour running time" and added that the film "is still not an easy film to like".[5] However, the reviewer praised the ending of the film, which she describes as "achingly real" and "extraordinarily intense and effective".[5] She also praised the film's young leads Shōta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidō, who she said "grow in stature as the film progresses".[5]
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 68th Venice International Film Festival | Marcello Mastroianni Award | Template:Won | Shōta Sometani and Fumi Nikaidō[4] |