The Deserted City
1984 · Movie · 105 min. · Japan
After reading a newspaper article about a town being destroyed in a fire, Eguchi begins to recall the summer he spent there writing his thesis. It's a beautiful canal town, the "Venice of Japan." As he arrives, he is greeted by the daughter of the Kaibara household, Yasuko. The rest of her family seems mysteriously absent. On his first night, Eguchi hears the stifled sound of crying. He attempts to find the source, and is soon drawn into the conflict that is tearing the family apart. While he likens the town to a dream, some of the inhabitants do not share his feelings. There is a sense of being stuck in time, with ruin and death the only future.
Direction Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Cast Satomi Kobayashi · Kisuke Yamashita · Toshie Negishi · Toru Minegishi · Wakaba Irie · Toshinori Omi · Narutoshi Hayashi · Takako Irie
Soundtrack Nobuhiko Ôbayashi
Screenplay Chiho Katsura · Takehiko Fukunaga
Cinematography Yoshitaka Sakamoto
Original title Haishi
Also known as Shinjuro · The Deserted City
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Not rated (FilmAffinity)
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