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Movies / On DVD / Japanese Story
Japanese Story

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Japanese Story (2004)

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Reviews Counted: 87

Fresh: 58

Rotten:29

Average Rating: 6.4/10

Consensus: An emotional film where Toni Collette gets to show her impressive range.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some sexuality and language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release: Dec 31, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $189,209

Synopsis: This romantic drama stars Toni Collette as Sandy, a high-strung Australian geologist assigned to escort Japanese businessman Hirotmitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima) on a tour through the outback. Ostensibly he's there to visit the various... This romantic drama stars Toni Collette as Sandy, a high-strung Australian geologist assigned to escort Japanese businessman Hirotmitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima) on a tour through the outback. Ostensibly he's there to visit the various mines his company co-owns, but his real motives are mysterious and soon he is urging her to drive deep into the middle of the Pilabra Desert. A mutual dislike for one another, enhanced by vast cultural differences keep them at arm's length at first, but when their jeep gets mired in sand in the middle of nowhere, their fight for survival leads them towards a deep human connection. They find themselves falling in love as they drift aimlessly amidst the desolate beauty of the area, but soon comes a sudden, unexpected shock. Written by Alison Tilson and directed by Sue Brooks, JAPANESE STORY explores the distances between cultures, people, and the vast emptiness of Australia's interior regions. Yet even the spectacular desert scenery can't compete with Collette's complex stunner of a performance. Suntanned, tender, gutsy and raw, she plumbs frighteningly real depths of emotion and vulnerability. Tsunashima is also excellent, bringing simplicity and grace to an enigmatic role. [More]

Starring: Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima, Lynette Curran, Yumiko Tanaka

Starring: Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima, Lynette Curran, Yumiko Tanaka, Matthew Dyktynski

Director: Sue Brooks

Director: Sue Brooks
Screenwriter: Allison Tilson
Producer: Magnus Mansie
Composer: Elizabeth Drake
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

[See More Credits]

DVD Info

 
 
 
 
Release:

May 11, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Sue Brooks - Director, Allison Tilson - Screenwriter, Magnus Mansie - Producer
  • Trailers
  • Deleted Scenes

Text/Photo Galleries:

  • Photo Gallery

Reviews for Japanese Story

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By: Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: In Film Australia | comment Comment
11/13/03
Luke Buckmaster
In Film Australia
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Collette's performance is one of her best yet.

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
09/30/03
Sydney Morning Herald
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Ratings Image

Despite an uninspiring first half, the film delivers a strong emotional impact in its final reels.**

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
08/23/04
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca
Ratings Image

An underdeveloped film that requires all of [Collette's] ample skills merely to rise to the mediocre.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
08/20/04
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Ratings Image

A heartbreaking and complex film about human relationships.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/20/04
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
Ratings Image

Lots of pictures begin strongly only to lose their focus; this one gains momentum with every sequence -- ambivalent at first, we're firmly hooked by the final frame.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
08/20/04
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Ratings Image

Tsunashima gives a deft performance in a role that starts out as caricature but becomes full-bodied. Collette commands the screen virtually the entire time.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Ratings Image

Mixing cultural comedy, survival tension, unlikely romance and an extreme about turn, it's a moving and unusual film.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
07/16/04
Harry Guerin
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
06/04/04
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette
Ratings Image

A raw emotional journey in which character is everything -- although the scenery is spectacular.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
06/04/04
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It's powerful, but fatally contrived

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
06/02/04
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Japanese Story gives Australian actress Toni Collette a chance to demonstrate the full range of her acting skills in a cross-cultural tale filled with many surprises.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
05/28/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice
Ratings Image

Tender, original and moving.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
05/18/04
Nev Pierce
BBC
Ratings Image

The film acts as a tale of human strengths and frailty as well as a barometer of cultural diversity.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
04/29/04
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review
Ratings Image

The conflict ... is all internal, and that's the problematic conceit on which Japanese Story turns.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
04/23/04
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
Ratings Image

Starts off promisingly. Eventually, though, it collapses into melodrama.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
04/23/04
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
Ratings Image

An embarrassing bit of housewife Orientalism erotica... that easily could be summarized by Monty Python's "I Like Chinese" song.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
04/13/04
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
04/09/04
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
See More Topics...

Related Forums for Japanese Story

REEL_REVIEWER
JAPANESE STORY is really an Aussie chickflick where even brief love can cause grief?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/17/05


REEL_REVIEWER
JAPANESE STORY is really an Aussie chickflick where even brief love can cause grief?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/17/05


REEL_REVIEWER
JAPANESE STORY is really an Aussie chickflick where even brief love can cause grief?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/17/05


REEL_REVIEWER
JAPANESE STORY is really an Aussie chickflick where even brief love can cause grief?
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/17/05


Japanses story!!!!!
by: toffy 9/7/04
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