The movie
Boneless Lantern
‘Sleep early, greet people, eat breakfast!’, enthuse three kids to our forlorn hero in this quirky, utterly charming depiction of a place—Yamaga, Japan (pop. 49,000)—a people, and the slow rehabilitation of a widower steeped in grief.
Length: 108 min
Country: Japan
Language spoken: Japanese
Language subtitles: English
Cast: Satoshi Suitsu, Tamaki Mahiro, Yohei Takayama, Motoco Tamura, Ryo Nishiyauchi
Director: Nadeshiko Koba
Release date: 17/10/2023
Description
These screenings are with English subtitles
'Sleep early, greet people, eat breakfast!’, enthuse three kids to our forlorn hero in this quirky, utterly charming depiction of a place—Yamaga, Japan (pop. 49,000)—a people, the famous lanterns they make, the lantern festival held every August, and the slow rehabilitation of a widower steeped in grief. The gorgeous lanterns are called "boneless" because they are made only from paper; our sad hero wanders into town in a daze, carrying his wife's urn, ends up at the lantern museum, meets an apprentice lantern-maker, and eventually seems to settle into the easy-going rhythms of the locality. The first half introduces the place, the townsfolk and the lantern-making in a very genial and humane way, while the second half evolves into a ghost story that is original, structurally playful, and visually inventive. There is a real sensibility and ingenuity on display here, courtesy of first-time director Nadeshiko Koba.
'Sleep early, greet people, eat breakfast!’, enthuse three kids to our forlorn hero in this quirky, utterly charming depiction of a place—Yamaga, Japan (pop. 49,000)—a people, the famous lanterns they make, the lantern festival held every August, and the slow rehabilitation of a widower steeped in grief. The gorgeous lanterns are called "boneless" because they are made only from paper; our sad hero wanders into town in a daze, carrying his wife's urn, ends up at the lantern museum, meets an apprentice lantern-maker, and eventually seems to settle into the easy-going rhythms of the locality. The first half introduces the place, the townsfolk and the lantern-making in a very genial and humane way, while the second half evolves into a ghost story that is original, structurally playful, and visually inventive. There is a real sensibility and ingenuity on display here, courtesy of first-time director Nadeshiko Koba.
