Based on six surreal short stories by Haruki Murakami

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

  • A man and a young woman sitting in sun chairs and talking
  • A man in a white shirt speaking with a big frog as they sit against each other at the table and having a dinner
  • A man and a young woman laying in bed, all naked but covered with a blanket, talking and imagining an enormous though transparent fish flying up by the ceiling of a dark room
  • In the dark wood, an all naked young woman pats a bright blue cat sitting on her lap
  • A boy in shorts and a man in sneakers talk at a bus stop in the country side.

Inspired by the 2011 Tokyo earthquake & tsunami. Based on several surreal short stories by acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami (Drive My Car, The Windup Bird Chronicle).

Tokyo, a few days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Kyoko suddenly leaves her husband after spending five days in a row glued to unfolding earthquake footage on TV. Her helpless husband Komura takes a week’s leave from work and heads north to deliver a box and its unknown contents to two young women. His colleague Katagiri, a simple debt collector by profession and an awkward loner in life, returns home one evening to find a two-metre-tall frog asking for his help to save Tokyo from an imminent earthquake. Through memories, dreams and fantasies, Kyoko, Komura and Katagiri, influenced by their visions of earthquakes—which are manifested as evil willow trees, giant earthworms, secret vows, mysterious boxes and a dark, endless corridor—attempt to rediscover their true selves.

This feature debut by composer Pierre Földes won the Jury Special Mention award at the renowned Annecy Animation Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Anima Festival in Brussels. Using an innovative live-action 3D motion capture process, Foldes captures the memories, dreams and visions of these characters as they attempt to rediscover their true selves.

Base on Haruki Murakami short stories: The Wind-up Bird – Tuesday’s Women, Super Frog Saves Tokyo, UFO in Kushiro, Birthday Girl, Dabchick and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.

Runtime
1h 50m
Year
2022
Director
Pierre Földes
Format
DCP
Country
France, Luxembourg, Canada, and Netherlands
Language
English
Categories
  • Assisted Listening