The Friends

"Things that pass, and things that can't be lost… One summer adventure story of three boys."

1994 1h 53m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 27

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A delightful and moving coming-of-age story. One summer, three young boys take an increasing interest in an eccentric old man who lives alone in a house surrounded by an overgrown garden. The boys form a bond with the recluse and set about weeding and replanting the garden.

“Things that pass, and things that can't be lost… One summer adventure story of three boys.”

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Cast

Rentaro Mikuni
Kihachi Denpo
Naoki Sakata
Jun Kiyama
Yasutaka Oh
Kawabe
Ken'ichi Makino
Takeshi Yamashita
Akira Emoto
Nagatomo
Tsurube Shofukutei
Undertaker
Minori Terada
Taniguchi
Naho Toda
Shizuka Kondo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shinji Sōmai
Writers: Yōzō Tanaka
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shinji Sōmai, shot by Noboru Shinoda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Izumi Sakai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshiyuki Okuhara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rentaro Mikuni and Naoki Sakata and Yasutaka Oh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Things that pass, and things that can't be lost… One summer adventure story of three boys.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0110630 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 27 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shinji Sōmai directs. Noboru Shinoda behind the camera. Izumi Sakai scores. Yoshiyuki Okuhara cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

132 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Shinji Sōmai, shot by Noboru Shinoda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Izumi Sakai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Yoshiyuki Okuhara shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Rentaro Mikuni and Naoki Sakata and Yasutaka Oh carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Things that pass, and things that can't be lost… One summer adventure story of three boys.".
7IMDB entry: tt0110630 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 27 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.