A Quiet Life

"Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburō Ōe's masterpiece now blossoms with the music of Hikari Ōe."

1995 2h 1m JA

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 9

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A melodrama about the life of a mentally disabled young man and his devoted sister after their famous novelist father and housewife mother go to Australia on a business trip.

“Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburō Ōe's masterpiece now blossoms with the music of Hikari Ōe.”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Cast

Hinako Saeki
Ma-chan
Atsuro Watabe
Iiyo
Tsutomu Yamazaki
Father
Mihoko Shibata
Mother
Masayuki Imai
Arai
Tamaki Ogawa
Weather Forecast
Takao Okamura
Danto
Nobuko Miyamoto
Danto's Wife

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jūzō Itami
Writers: Jūzō Itami
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

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jūzō Itami, shot by Yonezō Maeda. 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 Hikari Oe. 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 Akira Suzuki 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

Hinako Saeki and Atsuro Watabe and Tsutomu Yamazaki carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburō Ōe's masterpiece now blossoms with the music of Hikari Ōe.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0131013 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jūzō Itami directs. Yonezō Maeda behind the camera. Hikari Oe scores. Akira Suzuki cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

131 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Jūzō Itami, shot by Yonezō Maeda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Hikari Oe. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Akira Suzuki shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Hinako Saeki and Atsuro Watabe and Tsutomu Yamazaki carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburō Ōe's masterpiece now blossoms with the music of Hikari Ōe.".
7IMDB entry: tt0131013 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.