Harmful Insect

2002 1h 32m JA

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 29

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

13-year-old Sachiko is about to encounter the most difficult moments in her young life. Her father abandons her and her mother attempts to commit suicide by slashing her wrist. Her teacher, whom she relies on heavily, leaves for northern Japan to take another job. Other students start to gossip about Sachiko and her former teacher. Sachiko then drops out of school and attempts to find herself.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Aoi Miyazaki
Sachiko Kita
Yu Aoi
Natsuko Yamaoka
Ryo
Toshiko Kita
Seiichi Tanabe
Ogata
Yuria Haga
Rumi
Yusuke Iseya
Cofeeshop Guy
Eihi Shiina
Music Teacher
Tetsu Sawaki
Takao

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Akihiko Shiota
Writers: Kiyono Yayoi
Languages: Japanese, French
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

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, French.

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 Akihiko Shiota, shot by Tokushō Kikumura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshio Sugano 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

Aoi Miyazaki and Yu Aoi and Ryo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0297905 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 29 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Akihiko Shiota directs. Tokushō Kikumura behind the camera. Yoshio Sugano cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Japanese, French.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Akihiko Shiota, shot by Tokushō Kikumura. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Yoshio Sugano shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Aoi Miyazaki and Yu Aoi and Ryo carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0297905 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 29 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.