Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle

2021 2h 47m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 161

DramaAdventureWarHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Japan, 1944. Trained for intelligence work, Hiroo Onoda, 22 years old, discovers a philosophy contrary to the official line: no suicide; stay alive whatever happens; the mission is more important than anything else. Sent to Lubang, a small island in the Philippines where the Americans are about to land, this role will be to wage a guerrilla war until the return of the Japanese troops. The Empire will surrender soon after; Onoda, 10,000 days later.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Yuya Endo
Young Onoda
Kanji Tsuda
Old Onoda
Yuya Matsuura
Young Kozuka
Tetsuya Chiba
Old Kozuka
Shinsuke Kato
Shimada
Kai Inowaki
Akatsu
Issey Ogata
Major Taniguchi
Taiga Nakano
Tourist

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Arthur Harari
Writers: Arthur Harari, Vincent Poymiro
Languages: Japanese
Countries: France, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Cambodia

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

Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 6 countries: France, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Cambodia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Arthur Harari, shot by Tom Harari. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Yuya Endo and Kanji Tsuda and Yuya Matsuura carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Arthur Harari directs. Tom Harari behind the camera. Gak Sato scores. Laurent Sénéchal cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in France, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Cambodia. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 167 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $4.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 5 years ago.
4International production across 6 countries: France, Japan, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Cambodia.
5Directed by Arthur Harari, shot by Tom Harari. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Gak Sato. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Laurent Sénéchal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Yuya Endo and Kanji Tsuda and Yuya Matsuura carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt9844938 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Tom Harari
Original score: Gak Sato
Editing: Laurent Sénéchal
Production design: Brigitte Brassart
Costume design: Patricia Saive
Runtime: 167 min · 2h 47m
Status: Released
Budget: $4,700,000
Original language: FR
IMDB: Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (2021)

Also by

Arthur Harari

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-03-23
★ 7/10
In anticipation of the Allied landings on the Philippine island of Lubang, the Japanese send a small squad to engage in some guerrilla warfare activities pending the reorganisation of their own troops ready to return in due course. Amongst these men is the young Lt. Hiroo Onoda. He is an idealistic young man who firmly believes in his cause and is determined to do what he can, for as long as he can. Now what we know from the outset is that his nation surrenders in 1945, one year after these troops are deployed - but nobody tells Onoda. With his small squad still patrolling the island, their team begins to fracture. Their discipline to fail. The relentless monsoon rains; disease and the activities of the locals begin to reduce their number but he is adamant that he will stay on duty for as long as it takes - even if that takes us into the 1970s. Both Yûya Endô as the younger man and Kanji Tsuda as the older one play their parts convincingly as the story, based on real facts, illustrates the tough life amidst the dense jungle where they are seemingly abandoned by their own side and left to their own, limited, devices. The story mixes the timelines so we skip from young to older, and that’s quite effective at breaking up the story to avoid it being just a straightforward chronology. It also uses the other characterisations to demonstrate the increasing frustrations of these men as personalities clashed and loyalties, and authority, is tested. As we proceed their’s becomes more of a brotherhood than an army unit, and that makes the tragedies and misfortunes that befall them all the more poignant. It’s history, so there isn’t much latitude as to the denouement, but when we do get there it’s quite a touching conclusion that seems just a bit rushed, but entirely fitting.

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