Underplayed Gems

Children Untold (2026)

Directed by
Miwa Nishikawa
Genre
drama film
Country
Japan
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.

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How it feels

In Tokyo near the end of the Second World War, a 12-year-old orphaned girl dresses as a boy to get by in the city's dangerous underworld. Her former teacher follows her trail, hoping to find her and make up for past failures. It is a story about survival and trying to correct a wrong.

wartimegrittysombersearchingsurvivalistresolutebleakdeliberate

What happens

Children Untold (Japanese: わたしの知らない子どもたち) is an upcoming Japanese post-war drama film written and directed by Miwa Nishikawa. Based on her unpublished novel of same name, it's set in Tokyo during the final days and immediate aftermath of the Second World War. It follows a 12-year-old orphaned girl who disguises herself as a boy to survive the city's dangerous underworld, while her former teacher retraces her path in search of redemption. The film will open the Platform section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2026, competing for the Platform Prize. It will be theatrically released in Japan by K2 Pictures on 16 October. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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