Underplayed Gems

In This Corner of the World (2016)

In This Corner of the World poster
Original title
この世界の片隅に
Directed by
Sunao Katabuchi
Cast
Matsumoto Honoka, Arai Miu, Matsuzaka Tori, Asakawa Daiji, Murakami Nijiro, Imai Haruto, Ito Sairi, Tsuchimura Kaho
Genre
drama film, war film, historical film, Drama, Slice of Life
Country
Japan
Runtime
2h 08m
Rated
PG-13
Rating
7.9 of 10 from 638 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

The story follows a young woman from a rural fishing village who moves to the city of Kure after an arranged marriage. It shows her daily life and struggles as World War Two escalates and eventually impacts her family and community.

poignantslow-burneveryday-lifetendermelancholichistorically-groundedreflectivequietly-devastating

What happens

In This Corner of the World (この世界の片隅に, Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni) is a 2016 Japanese animated war drama film produced by MAPPA, co-written and directed by Sunao Katabuchi, featuring character designs by Hidenori Matsubara and music by Kotringo. The film is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Fumiyo Kōno. It premiered in Japan on November 12, 2016. Animatsu Entertainment licensed the global distribution rights of the film in June 2016. Shout! Factory acquired the distribution rights for North America, with a U.S. theatrical release on August 11, 2017, co-released by Funimation Films. An extended version of the film, titled In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (この世界の(さらにいくつもの)片隅に, Kono Sekai no (Sara ni Ikutsumono) Katasumi ni), premiered on December 20, 2019. At 168 minutes long, It surpassed the extended 70mm cut of Final Yamato by five minutes and became the longest Japanese animated film, and later tying with Chang'an as the world's longest theatrically released animated films. The film is set in the 1930s–1940s in Hiroshima and Kure in Japan, roughly ten years before and after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, but mainly in 1944–45. In the film, nature and traditional culture in Japan are clearly described and contrasted with the cruel and irredeemable scenes brought by the war. Though it is a fictional account, the official guidebook of the film claims that the episodes and background of the story are based on facts and real incidents of the lost townscape of pre-war Hiroshima damaged by the bombing, as researched by the production staff. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.