Soft Skin

1998 1h 27m JA

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 9

Thriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Minako, a Tokyo housewife, is depressed that everyone has an active life outside the home except her. Taking her inspiration from TV reports of a hitch-hiking chainsaw murderer, Minako decides to spice up her life by finding a young lover and running off with him by faking her kidnapping. While her family frets and worries, Minako has a wonderful time. Eventually, though, she decides it's time to go back to her family. Her lover, however, isn't ready for the fun to end, and Minako's fake kidnapping soon becomes all too real.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Moeko Ezawa
Minako Tohno
Tomomi Kuribayashi
Atsuka Tohno
Kenji Mizuhashi
Hiromasa Tohno
Hitoshi Kusanagi
Kazuhiko
Reiko Takamizu
Ai Tohno
Yuka Sakano
Shojo A (as Yuka Sakurai)
Junko Asahina
Yumiko Natsume
Hiromi Kuronuma
Kenichi Tohno

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hisayasu Satō
Writers: Hisayasu Satō, Hisayasu Satō, Kyoko Godai
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hisayasu Satō, shot by Masahide Iioka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Moeko Ezawa and Tomomi Kuribayashi and Kenji Mizuhashi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0266074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hisayasu Satō directs. Masahide Iioka behind the camera. Yoshihide Otomo scores. Nobutake Kamiya cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Hisayasu Satō, shot by Masahide Iioka. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Yoshihide Otomo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nobutake Kamiya shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Moeko Ezawa and Tomomi Kuribayashi and Kenji Mizuhashi carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0266074 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.