Japanese Story

2003 Drama

Following their feature debut, Road to Nhill, in 1997, screenwriter Alison Tilson and director Sue Brooks team up again for the Australian drama Japanese Story. Toni Collette stars as Sandy Edwards, an ambitious geologist who is most comfortable when working alone. She also runs a software design company with a business partner, Bill Baird (Matthew Dyktynski), and she doesn't get along very well with her mother (Lynette Curran). While trying to sell their software products, Bill asks for her help in catching a prospective client. Sandy reluctantly meets the quiet and reserved Japanese businessman Hiromitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima) in order to make a sale. After he requests that she take him on a driving tour, the odd couple find themselves stranded in the Pilbara desert for a night -- one of the most remote places in the Australian outback. During this time together, their relationship quickly escalates and both parties are changed by the experience. Japanese Story premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. more..

Director: Sue Brooks

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

 30 Reviews  10 Awards

Reviews

  • Gradually the full arc of Toni Collette's performance reveals itself, and we see that the end was there even in the beginning. This is that rare sort of film that is not about what happens, but about what happens then.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • A movie with surprises, some of which you should discover for yourself. But its main surprises may be the power of Collette's performance and the beautifully controlled mood and atmosphere Brooks creates.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    26 April 2013

  • This is an origami story, really, about what a construction of chance the big world is.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    26 April 2013

  • Tsunashima is superb, and a never-better Collette (The Sixth Sense, About a Boy, The Hours) has a radiant intensity that hits you right in the heart. She burns this movie into your memory.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • This offbeat take on "The African Queen" stumbles on a couple of awkward transitions, but generally succeeds on the merits of Collette's unerring ability to carry the viewer along her constantly changing emotional landscape.

    Michael Rechtshaffen - The Hollywood Reporter

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Actress in a Leading Role

    Australian Film Institute (2003)

  • Feature Film - Original

    Australian Writers' Guild (2003)

  • Best Film

    Bangkok International Film Festival (2004)

     

  • New Directors Competition

    Chicago International Film Festival (2003)

     

  • Best Actress

    Chlotrudis Awards (2005)

     

Lists

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