is a 2014 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

and based on a novel by

Kyoko Nakajima is a Japanese writer. She has won the Naoki Prize, Izumi Kyōka Prize for Literature, Shibata Renzaburo Prize, Kawai Hayao Story Prize, and Chuo Koron Literary Prize, and her work has been adapted for film. Early life and education Kyoko Na ...

. It was released in Japan on 25 January 2014.

Plot

The film is set in the 1930s and 1940s in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is narrated from the memoirs of Taki Nunomiya as an old woman. In 1930, she left Yamagata for Tokyo as an

indentured servant Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract, called an " indenture", may be entered "voluntarily" for purported eventual compensation or debt repayment ...

to work as a

housemaid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maid ...

Cast

Takako Matsu (born June 10, 1977) also known as is a Japanese actress and pop singer. Personal life Matsu was born to a family of buyō and kabuki actors, including her father Matsumoto Hakuō II, her mother and businesswoman Noriko Fujima, her uncle, ...

Haru Kuroki is a Japanese actress. She gained international recognition by winning Silver Bear (Best Actress Award) at Berlin International Film Festival in 2014, for her performance in Yoji Yamada's film ''The Little House ''The Little House'' is a 194 ...

Hidetaka Yoshioka is a Japanese actor known for his performance in several movies as a child and lately the award-winning TV drama Dr. Coto's Clinic. He notably played the part of Tora-san's little nephew in the "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" film series, and he appeared ...

Satoshi Tsumabuki is a Japanese actor. His breakthrough film was ''Waterboys'' for which he was nominated for the 'Best Actor' award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and won the 'Newcomer of the Year' prize. He is also the bassist and lead singer of the Japanese ...

Chieko Baisho is a Japanese actress and singer. In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won th ...

* Takataro Kataoka *

Kazuko Yoshiyuki (born 9 August 1935) is a Japanese film actress and voice actress essayist. Biography Early life Kazuko was born in Tokyo as a first daughter of Eisuke Yoshiyuki, a writer, and Aguri. She has an older brother, Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, a novelist, ...

Yui Natsukawa is a Japanese actress. She co-starred with Hiroshi Abe in the 2006 Japanese drama Kekkon Dekinai Otoko and in Hirokazu Kore-eda's 2008 film '' Still Walking''. Filmography Film * ''Sora ga Konnani Aoi Wake ga Nai'' (1993) - Kaoru Aoki * ''Yoru ...

Nenji Kobayashi is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for ''Poppoya''. Kobayashi signed with Toei in 1961 and started his acting career with small roles. Filmography Film * '' Soshiki Bōryoku'' (196 ...

Fumino Kimura is a Japanese actress. Filmography Film * ''Kaze no Dadu'' (2006), Ayumi Asano * ''Adan'' (2006), Adan * ''Paradise Kiss'' (2011) * ''Run60'' (2011), Maki * ''Sukiyaki'' (2011), Shiori Mizushima * ''Ramo Trip'' (2012), Mari Ijichi * ''Chips'' ...

Yukijirō Hotaru is a Japanese actor. He is best known for the role of Gonza Kurahashi in the ''Garo'' television franchise. Filmography Films *'' Sexy Battle Girls'' (1986) *'' Time Adventure: Zeccho 5-byo Mae'' (1986) *''Itoshino Half Moon'' (1987) *''Ogenki ...

Takashi Sasano is a Japanese actor. Career Sasano has appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films ''Bright Future (film), Bright Future'' (2003) and ''Before We Vanish'' (2017). He also appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film ''Cut (2011 film), Cut''. Filmography Film ...

- Itakura *

Shigeru Muroi is a Japanese actress. She won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 19th Hochi Film Awards for '' Izakaya Yūrei''. Filmography Film * ''Something Like It'' (1981) – Aya * ''Burst City'' (1982) * '' Female Prisoner: Cage'' (1983) – ...

Tomoko Nakajima is a Japanese actress best known for playing Hotaru Kuroita in the long-running television drama '' Kita no Kuni kara'' ("From a Northern Country"). She won the award for best supporting actress at the 12th Yokohama Film Festival for ''Tugumi''. ...

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza. 週刊現代6月5日号「私の地図」第485回 p84-86 Selected filmography Film Television Awards a ...

Reception

The film was in competition for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

at the

64th Berlin International Film Festival The 64th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 6 to 16 February 2014. Wes Anderson's film ''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' opened the festival. British film director Ken Loach was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The Golden ...

, where

won the

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...

. Two days after being released it had grossed ¥123 million (

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1.19 million) at the Japanese box office.

References

External links

* * 2014 drama films 2014 films Films scored by Joe Hisaishi Films based on Japanese novels Films directed by Yoji Yamada Films set in Japan Films set in the 1930s Japanese drama films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada 2010s Japanese films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub