Picnic

"I know when the world will end."

1996 1h 12m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 80

DramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Believing that the world will end that very day, three mental patients Coco, Tsumuji, and Satoru set out upon a journey. Walking upon the tops of the walls of the city, they seek to find a picnic spot with the best vantage point to view the final event.

“I know when the world will end.”

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Cast

Chara
Coco
Tadanobu Asano
Tsumuji
Koichi Hashizume
Satoru
Naomasa Musaka
Head Nurse
Fujiko Yamamoto
Nurse
Shifumi Yamaguchi
Coco's Mother
Takaaki Kabuto
Coco's Father
Kazue Itō
Doctor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shunji Iwai
Writers: Shunji Iwai
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

Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "いわいしゅんじ Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shunji Iwai, shot by Noboru Shinoda. 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 REIMY. 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 Toshihiko Kojima 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

Chara and Tadanobu Asano and Koichi Hashizume carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "I know when the world will end.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shunji Iwai directs. Noboru Shinoda behind the camera. REIMY scores. Toshihiko Kojima cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "いわいしゅんじ Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Shunji Iwai, shot by Noboru Shinoda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by REIMY. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Toshihiko Kojima shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Chara and Tadanobu Asano and Koichi Hashizume carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "I know when the world will end.".
9IMDB entry: tt0117338 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 80 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.