Suzaku

1997 1h 35m JA

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 42

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Depicts the life of a family in a remote Japanese timber village. Family head Tahara Kozo lives with his mother Sachiko, wife Yasuyo, nephew Eisuke and young daughter Michiru. Economic recession and failed development plans cause tragedy in the family.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jun Kunimura
Kozo Tahara
Machiko Ono
Michiru Tahara
Sayaka Yamaguchi
Young Michiru
Sachiko Izumi
Sachiko
Kotaro Shibata
Eisuke
Yasuyo Kamimura
Yasuyo
Kazufumi Mukohira
Young Eisuke

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Naomi Kawase
Writers: Naomi Kawase
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Naomi Kawase, shot by Masaki Tamura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jun Kunimura and Machiko Ono and Sayaka Yamaguchi carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0119687 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Naomi Kawase directs. Masaki Tamura behind the camera. Masamichi Shigeno scores. Shuichi Kakesu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Directed by Naomi Kawase, shot by Masaki Tamura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Masamichi Shigeno. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Shuichi Kakesu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jun Kunimura and Machiko Ono and Sayaka Yamaguchi carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0119687 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 42 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Masaki Tamura
Original score: Masamichi Shigeno
Editing: Shuichi Kakesu
Makeup / hair: Miwako Kobayashi
Sound: Osamu Takizawa
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Suzaku (1997)

Also by

Naomi Kawase

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2021-12-27
★ 8/10
I interpret this film as a slow, meditative thesis on the wabi-sabi of generational change. Like the fleeting cherry blossoms, the Japanese have reverence and respect for impermanence and imperfection. In the middle of the film, we heard an older man ask "How will our young find someone to marry (if the railroad is not built)?" Everyone is aware of the traditional village dissolving, yet only Kozo is unable to live with this. He disappears. Yasuyo moves away taking Machiko with her. Eisuke, who was, and still is, afraid of the ghosts in the tunnel (the past?) decides to remain in the village, perhaps only because the tradition of living with family still resides in him. We in the Western world do not seem to appreciate the trajectory of change in our own culture. Even viewed through the lens of our contemporary ADD, this film is good.

Production companies