Ritual

Aka: Shiki-Jitsu
Director: Anno Hideaki
Release date: December 7, 2000
Language: Japanese
Subtitle: English (Soft-subbed)
Genre: Drama

Starring:
Shunji Iwai
Ayako Fujitani
Jun Murakami
Shinobu Ōtake

Synopsis:
The film follows a young Director returning to his hometown, a suburb of a larger Japanese city, and an eccentric young girl he meets, whose quirks include saying "tomorrow is my birthday" every day and wearing very unusual clothing.
But as the days go by, it appears that the woman has little touch with reality and is constantly escaping into a fantasy world, while the Director himself is a former anime director who is seeking to do a "real film" and embrace reality. The two eventually fall in love.
In the end, the Director confronts the Woman and her mother, allowing the Woman to make the first steps into the real world. The films ends with the Girl circling December 7 as her real birthday and the words "beyond the 33rd day: unknown".
(Credit: wikipedia)

Review:


Trailer:



Related Links:
Trailer: YouTube
Online Streaming: N/A
More Info: IMDb
Download Links: 01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - sub

Curiosities:
The screenplay is an adaption by Hideaki Anno and Ayako Fujitani of Fujitani's novella Touhimu, which was inspired by an emotionally difficult time spent in Los Angeles during her work in her father's 1998 film, The Patriot.

The film tells the story of a director, played by independent filmmaker Shunji Iwai, who meets an odd young woman, played by Ayako Fujitani, who wrote the novella Tohimu the film is based upon. The story takes place over a period of 33 days.

Awards:
Tokyo International Film Festival 2000: Best Artistic Contribution Award

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