The Discarnates Explained

The Discarnates
Director:	Nobuhiko Obayashi
Screenplay:	Shin'ichi Ichikawa
Producer:	Kiyoshi Higuchi
Starring:	Morio Kazama Tsurutarō Kataoka Kumiko Akiyoshi Toshiyuki Nagashima Yuko Natori
Music:	Masatsugu Shinozaki
Cinematography:	Yoshitaka Sakamoto
Editing:	Kazuo Ota
Studio:	Shochiku
Distributor:	Shochiku
Runtime:	115 minutes
Country:	Japan
Language:	Japanese

is a 1988 Japanese fantasy drama mystery film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi from a screenplay by Shin'ichi Ichikawa, based on a novelStrangers by Taichi Yamada.

Produced and distributed by Shochiku, the film was released in Japan on September 15, 1988. It was screened at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival where it competed for the Golden St. George but lost to Maurizio Nichetti's The Icicle Thief.

Plot

Hideo Harada is a TV drama writer who lives alone in an apartment after his divorce from his wife. While researching places for his written teleplay, he quickly recognized that he was in Asakusa, his childhood home. When he entered the theater, he began noticing a man whom he was familiar with, only to find out that it was his long-deceased father, Hidekichi. Hidekichi invites his son to his home where he lives with his wife Fusako.

Cast

• Morio Kazama as Hideo Harada
• Tsurutarô Kataoka as Hidekichi Harada (Father)
• Kumiko Akiyoshi as Fusako Harada (Mother)
• Yûko Natori as Kei Fujino
• Toshiyuki Nagashima as Ichiro Mamiya

Awards

31st Blue Ribbon Awards^[1]

• Won: Best Supporting Actor - Tsurutarō Kataoka
• Won: Best Supporting Actress - Kumiko Akiyoshi

13th Hochi Film Award^[2]

• Won: Best Supporting Actor - Tsurutarō Kataoka

16th Moscow International Film Festival^[3]

• Nominated: Golden St. George

10th Yokohama Film Festival^[4]

• Won: Best Supporting Actor - Tsurutarō Kataoka
• 4th Best Film^[5]

Further reading

• Book: Harper, Jim . Flowers from Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film . 13–15 . Noir Publishing . 2008 . 9780953656479.

Notes and References

1. Web site: http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/b_award/1988/. ja:ブルーリボン賞ヒストリー. 2010-01-22. Japanese. Cinema Hochi. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090207075730/http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/b_award/1988/. 2009-02-07.
2. Web site: http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/h_award/1988/. ja:報知映画賞ヒストリー. 2010-01-22. Japanese. Cinema Hochi. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090131124908/http://cinemahochi.yomiuri.co.jp/h_award/1988/. 2009-01-31.
3. Web site: 16th Moscow International Film Festival (1989) . 2013-02-24 . MIFF . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130316085017/http://moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1989 . 2013-03-16 .
4. Web site: http://homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai/10-1988/10_1988_shou.html . ja:第１０回ヨコハマ映画祭 １９８８年日本映画個人賞 . 2010-01-22 . Japanese . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175754/http://homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai/10-1988/10_1988_shou.html . 2016-03-03 .
5. Web site: http://homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai/10-1988/10_1988_best10.html. ja:１９８８年度 日本映画ベストテン. 2010-01-22. Japanese. Yokohama Film Festival. 2016-03-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211640/http://homepage3.nifty.com/yokohama-eigasai/10-1988/10_1988_best10.html. dead.