Noriko no shokutaku (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Sion Sono

Writers:

Sion Sono (screenplay) &
Sion Sono (novel)

Release Date:

23 September 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

The family that eats together stays together.

Plot:

A teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS...

Plot Keywords:

Suicide | Internet | Runaway Child | Abandoned Baby | Nihilism

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Kazue Fukiishi	...	Noriko Shimabara - Mitsuko
Tsugumi	...	Kumiko - Ueno Station 54
Yuriko Yoshitaka	...	Yuka Shimabara - Yôko
Shirô Namiki	...	Ikeda - Tetsuzô's Friend
Sanae Miyata	...	Taeko Shimabara
Yoko Mitsuya	...	Tangerine (as Yôko Mitsuya)
Tamae Ando	...	Broken Dam (as Tamae Andô)
Naoko Watanabe	...	Cripple #5
Kanehiro Ri
Chihiro Abe	...	Long Neck
Hanako Onuki	...	Midnight
Sora Tôma
Kazumasa Taguchi	...	Kumiko's 'Father'
Takako Kitagawa	...	Kumiko's 'Mother'
Shingo Ishikawa

Also Known As:

Noriko's Dinner Table (International: English title)

Runtime:

159 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Japan:R-15

Filming Locations:

Gotanda, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Mother Ark Co. Ltd.

Trivia:

The events that transpire in this film take place before, during, and after the events in Jisatsu sâkuru (2001) in order to help show the backstory of everything that took place in that film.

Quotes:

Noriko Shimabara: I've been pretending to be busy until today; now I feel naked.

Movie Connections:

Follows Jisatsu sâkuru (2001)

Soundtrack:

Bara ga saita

A Tour De Force

After seeing "Suicide Club", I approached this film with some trepidation. However, this is not "Suicide Club 2". Its a story of two sisters Noriko and Yuka, who live with their parents in Toyokawa, a sleepy seaside town. Mousy Noriko is unhappy with this existence and runs away to Tokyo. There she meets Kumiko, who runs a fantasy service in which young ladies act as daughters for lonely men, amongst other things (the "family rental" concept is a great idea for this film). Yuka eventually runs away also, and does the same thing. Their father pieces together clues as to their whereabouts and doing and goes to Tokyo to find them. First of all, the settings are excellent. Like New York City and London, you see Tokyo in all its glory, neon etc. The story itself is also great, flowing & unfolding slowly until it reaches an explosive climax. However, that would only make a good film if the acting was merely adequate. The acting is uniformly superb. Kasue Fukiishi plays Noriko so well, you don't realize she's acting. Likewise, Yuka (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and Kumiko (Tsugumi) also give great performances. This film is much more psychological than "Suicide Club", and for that it shines. I was almost breathless through parts of this, and I watched it on DVD. Its only recommended you watch "Suicide Club" first, buts it not essential, to get the gist of this powerful film. Who expects any film that is labeled a sequel to be much better than the first? I so highly recommend this film. It is actually one of my favorites. I expect great things from the three young actresses in this film. Based on their performances in this film, especially Ms. Fukiishi's, I know I will not be disappointed.