is a 2017 Japanese

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

directed by Nobuhiko Ōbayashi, based on a 1937 novel by Kazuo Dan. The film tells a story of the purity of youth beset by the chaos of war, inspired by Obayashi's own childhood. It revolves around Toshihiko, a sixteen-year-old teenager who moves in with his aunt in Karatsu, and develops friendships and romances with the inhabitants of the town as

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

rages. The film was originally conceived during the 1970s, before Obayashi made his feature film

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

with ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'' (1977), but was not produced for another 40 years. Before production, Obayashi was diagnosed with stage-four

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

and was only given a few months to live. ''Hanagatami'' received acclaim, garnering numerous awards, including the Best Film Award at the 72nd

Mainichi Film Awards The are a series of annual film awards, sponsored by '' Mainichi Shimbun'' (毎日新聞), one of the largest newspaper companies in Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of ...

. It was praised for its exuberant and vibrant visuals, its experimental and psychedelic direction and editing, its strong anti-war message and its sense of personalness. It is the third installment in a thematic trilogy of modern anti-war films by Obayashi, along with '' Casting Blossoms to the Sky'' (2012) and '' Seven Weeks'' (2014).

Plot

In the spring of 1941, sixteen-year-old Toshihiko leaves Amsterdam to attend school in Karatsu, a small town on the western coast of Japan, where his aunt Keiko cares for his ailing cousin Mina. Immersed in the seaside's nature and culture, Toshihiko soon befriends the town's other extraordinary adolescents as they all contend with the war's inescapable gravitational pull.

Cast

* as * Shinnosuke Mitsushima as Ukai (鵜飼) * as Kira (吉良) * Tokio Emoto as Aso (阿蘇) *

Honoka Yahagi , formerly known as , is a Japanese actress, fashion model and voice actress. Yahagi is best known for her role as Kotoko Aihara in '' Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo'' and its sequel ''Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in Okinawa'' as Kotoko Irie. She's ...

as * Hirona Yamazaki as Akine (あきね) *

Mugi Kadowaki is a Japanese actress. Biography In 2011, Kadowaki debuted in the television drama ''Misaki Number One!!''. At the time of her debut she was signed to Blooming Agency. In 2013, Kadowaki became a hot topic because of a commercial for "Chocola B ...

as Chitose (千歳) * Takako Tokiwa as * as Professor Yamauchi (山内教授) *

Tetsuya Takeda Tetsuya Takeda (), born April 11, 1949, is a Japanese folk singer and actor. Takeda is perhaps most known in Japan for his starring role in the Tokyo Broadcasting System's (TBS) long-running, highly rated television drama '' Sannen B Gumi Kinpa ...

as Dr. Ichijo (一条医師)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Mainichi Film Award for Best Film 2017 films 2010s Japanese films Films directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi Japanese war films 2010s war films Films scored by Kousuke Yamashita Japanese World War II films