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Himizu
ヒミズ
2012 130 min Japan 18+
★7.5
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Director: Sion Sono
💬 Based on the comic
«Himizu»
byMinoru Furuya
Trailers
Description
Two 14-year-olds from troubled, abusive homes come together sharing misery and pain. In the aftermath of an earthquake, the classmates learn how to survive while relying on one another for emotional and physical support.
Worldwide:
$1.23M
Starring
Shôta Sometani
Actor
Fumi Nikaidô
Actor
Tetsu Watanabe
Actor
Awards
Venice Film Festival 2011
— Golden Lion
Key opinion
Himizu is a raw, stylized exploration of teenage life in the shadow of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, blending grotesque drama with post-apocalyptic malaise. While critics praise the film's intense atmosphere and commitment to its dark vision, opinions differ on the execution of its source material adaptation and its overall narrative pacing.
| Acting | Shota Sometani delivers a powerful and convincing performance as a teenager navigating extreme psychological turmoil. | |
| Direction | Sion Sono employs a distinctive, grotesque directorial style that effectively captures a sense of societal pathology and total distrust. | |
| Production | The film masterfully uses the ruins of the 2011 disaster as a haunting, recurring motif that defines the characters' hopeless environments. | |
| Screenplay | The narrative structure is intentionally disorienting and challenging, requiring significant viewer effort to piece together the characters' motivations. | |
| Pacing | The film's heavy reliance on hysterical monologues and slow, contemplative sequences creates a polarizing experience that some find emotionally resonant and others find dull. | |
| Adaptation | Long-time fans of the original manga argue the film deviates too sharply from the source material, stripping away key character depth and plot nuances. |