Rhapsody in August

May 25, 1991

1h 38m

★ 7.1

Tears. Laughter. Innocence. It was a summer of remembering.

Overview

The story centers on an elderly hibakusha, whose husband was one of 80,000 human beings killed in the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, caring for her four grandchildren over the summer. She learns of a long-lost brother, Suzujiro, living in Hawaii who wants her to visit him before he dies.

Genres

Drama

Production Companies

Kurosawa Production

Shochiku

Rhapsody in August Trailers

Cast

Kane (The Grandmother)

Sachiko Murase

Tateo

Hidetaka Yoshioka

Tami

Tomoko Otakara

Minako

Mieko Suzuki

Shinjiro

Mitsunori Isaki

Tadao

Hisashi Igawa

Kane's daughter

Toshie Negishi

Noboru

Chōichirō Kawarasaki

Machino

Narumi Kayashima

Clark (Kane's Nephew)

Richard Gere

Matsue Ono

Kappei Matsumoto

In the 1950s, a Japanese-American fisherman is suspected of killing his neighbour at sea. For Ishmael, a local reporter, the trial strikes a deep emotional chord when he finds his ex-lover is linked to the case. As he investigates the killing, he uncovers some startling clues that lead him to a shocking discovery.

6.0

Elsa & Fred

Mar 7, 2014

After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.

8.0

Nobody Knows

Aug 7, 2004

In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.

7.0

Love and Other Cults

Jul 15, 2017

Ai's mother sends her to live with a cult commune, where she remains for seven years. After the cult is broken up by the police, Ai struggles to fit in with society.

8.0

The Naked Island

Nov 23, 1960

A family of four are the sole inhabitants of a small island, where they struggle each day to irrigate their crops.

7.9

Throne of Blood

Jan 15, 1957

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

7.3

Battle Royale

Dec 16, 2000

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

7.8

Fail Safe

Oct 7, 1964

Because of a technical defect an American bomber team mistakenly orders the destruction of Moscow. The President of the United States has but little time to prevent an atomic catastrophe from occurring.

7.6

Dolls

Oct 12, 2002

Dolls takes puppeteering as its overriding motif, which relates thematically to the action provided by the live characters. Chief among those tales is the story of Matsumoto and Sawako, a young couple whose relationship is about to be broken apart by the former's parents, who have insisted their son take part in an arranged marriage to his boss' daughter.

5.5

Kids Return: The Reunion

Oct 12, 2013

Set 10 years after "Kids Return." Shinji and Masaru have graduated from high school with different paths in their lives. Shinji attempted to become boxer and Masaru a yakuza. They both tried to rise to the top of their respective fields.

7.0

Mothra vs. Godzilla

Apr 29, 1964

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

6.2

Infinity

Oct 4, 1996

Story of the early life of genius and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman.

6.9

Irina Palm

Feb 13, 2007

Maggie, a quiet retiring grandmother, finds herself helpless as her grandson’s health deteriorates. When one last chance appears, but money is desperately short, Maggie acts to raise the cash in a fashion that surprises everyone but her.

6.4

Visitor Q

Mar 17, 2001

In a dysfunctional family where the mother is a heroin addict and prostitute, beaten by her son, and the father is an ex-TV reporter, sleeping with his daughter and filming his son being beaten up, ‘Q’, a complete stranger enters the bizarre family, changing their lives for the better, finding a balance in their disturbing natures.

7.5

Kikujiro

Jun 5, 1999

Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined to see the mother he has never met. The two begin a series of adventures which soon turns out to be a whimsical journey of laughter and tears with a wide array of surprises and unique characters along the way.

6.4

The Sum of All Fears

May 31, 2002

When the president of Russia suddenly dies, a man whose politics are virtually unknown succeeds him. The change in political leaders sparks paranoia among American CIA officials, so CIA director Bill Cabot recruits a young analyst to supply insight and advice on the situation. Then the unthinkable happens: a nuclear bomb explodes in a U.S. city, and America is quick to blame the Russians.

7.2

Zatoichi

Sep 6, 2003

Blind traveler Zatoichi is a master swordsman and a masseur with a fondness for gambling on dice games. When he arrives in a village torn apart by warring gangs, he sets out to protect the townspeople.

5.4

Mack & Rita

Aug 12, 2022

A 30-year-old spends a wild weekend in Palm Springs and wakes up to find she has magically transformed into her 70-year-old self.

5.5

Devotion to Cinema

Mar 12, 2016

Yoshie is a member of the theatre club in high school. Due to her older sister Keiko, Yoshie begins acting in a indie film with her friend Akari and theatre club president Aki. Their sadistic director Naomi (Asaka Nakamura) pushes them psychologically and their relationship begins to change.

8.1

Central Station

Apr 3, 1998

An emotional journey of a former school teacher, who writes letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, as they search for the father he never knew.