A Gentle Breeze in the Village
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User Rating
Current user rating: 92/100 (18 votes)
Profile
- Movie: A Gentle Breeze in the Village
- Romaji: Tennen kokekko
- Japanese: 天然コケッコー
- Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita
- Writer: Fusako Kuramochi (manga), Aya Watanabe (screenplay)
- Producer: Hiroyuki Negishi, Shinji Ogawa
- Cinematographer Ryuto Kondo
- Release Date: 2007
- Runtime: 121 Min.
- Genre: Drama / Romance
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
- Theme Song: Quruli - Triangle
Plot
In “A Gentle Breeze in the Village,” Soyo Migata (Kaho) is a quirky 8th grade student who resides in a tiny rural village somewhere in Japan. The village is small enough where there’s only 6 students that attends their school (from 1st grade through 8th grade). Soyo’s been friends with her classmates since early childhood and they all hang out together like an extended family. One day, a new student named Hiromi Osawa (Masaki Okada) arrives. He’s a good looking boy from Tokyo and all the other students view as something of a celebrity.
Cast
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| Kaho | Masaki Okada | Erisa Yanagi | Shoko Fujimura | Shogo Morishita |
| Soyo Migita | Hiromi Osawa | Ibuki Taura | Atsuko Yamabe | Kotaro Migita |
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| Rumi Honma | Saya Miyazawa | Yui Natsukawa | Koichi Sato | Satoru Saito |
| Katsuo Taura | Sachiko Taura | Itoko Migita | Kazumasa Migita | Atsuko's father |
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| Daisuke Kuroda | Mari Ouchi | Hiromasa Hirosue |
| Matsuda (teacher) | Michiko | Shige |
Trailers
Image Gallery
Film Festivals
- 2007 (12th) Pusan International Film Festival - October 4th-12th - A Window on Asian Cinema
- 2008 (8th) Nippon Connection - April 2nd-6th
Fraciatti Says:
Nov 12 2010 11:08 am
A relaxing movie, but absolutely also pleasant. The calmness of the village, the simple life of the characters, the slow passing of the time make you go back to adolescence years, when everything was interesting and new. It's rare to find such a movie, with so simple plot and so enjoyable atmosphere! The movie seems to leave you nothing, but you still remember that calmness feeling in the days after the vision: for me this means the movie is very good!
darkangel2 Says:
Nov 05 2009 4:16 pm
Nobuhiro Yamashita’s film takes you back to the basics of life. It re-teaches one the values of friendship, through the simplicities of serene country living.
The small country village where the film takes place is so charming, it has a school that has only 7 students, and they are almost all in different years. When a new boy comes to the village he is welcomed with love from the children. The eldest of the group 'Soyo' is simply captivating in her curiosity towards 'Hiromi' the handsome boy from Tokyo, and we see her struggle to find a balance between falling in love for the first time and holding on or letting go as it were, of her mellow and precious life with the other children; that she still keeps close to her heart.
This is a very uplifting film, and the characters make it so. A graceful, heart-warming and inspiringly told story in my eyes, and those who find themselves sometimes wishing for 'a simple life' should enjoy it just as much as I did.
Ki Says:
Feb 01 2009 4:59 am
It seems Nobuhiro Yamashita impresses with each movie that he makes. “Linda Linda Linda” brought the director international acclaim with his coming of age tale of an all girl rock band. His following film “Matsugane Potshot Affair” indulged in more offbeat humor, somewhat like “Fargo” set in rural Japan, and while the movie didn’t have the commercial success of “Linda Linda Linda” the movie did provide another enjoyable moviegoing experience. Yamashita’s latest pic “A Gentle Breeze in the Village” returns to the softer tone of “Linda Linda Linda” minus the rock band schtik to focus on a coming of age pic where the beauty of the film lies in the nuances of the moment, flavored by the visual spectacle of Japan’s countryside helmed through the keen lens of Yamashita.
gentlebreeze-main.jpg“A Gentle Breeze in the Village” is based off Fusako Kuramchi’s best selling novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Aya Watanabe from “Josee the Tiger and the Fish.” If you are a fan of that movie (I know I am) then you’re likely to notice something else similar about that movie and “A Gentle Breeze in the Village.” Beyond Aya Watanabe having written the screenplay, both movies also feature musical scores composed by the Japanese rock band Quruli - they do make some of their finest songs since their Josee and the Tiger and the Fish soundtrack.
In “A Gentle Breeze in the Village,” Soyo Migata is a quirky 8th grader who resides in a small village somewhere in the rural area of Japan. The village is small enough where there’s only 6 students at their school (from 1st grade through 8th grade). Soyo’s been friends with her classmates since childhood and they hang out together like an extended family. One day a new student arrives named Hiromi Osawa. He’s a good looking boy from Tokyo and all the other students view him as somewhat of a celebrity. Hiromi in his own way fits in with the group and takes an interest in Soyo (who is the only other 8th grader at their small school).
All the students then make a trip out to a nearby a beach. As precursor to what will come, Hiromi opts take a different path from the group when the road splits in two. The others belatedly follow Hiromi and this is when Soyo and Hiromi’s relationship first starts to bloom. Soyo trips on a train track while a train approaches in the distant. Hiromi non-nonchalantly walks over and carries the frightened Soyo out of harm’s way. They now share a bond that neither recognizes…yet.
The movie then deals with a series of small episodes which eventually culminates in Hiromi’s decision to attend high school in Tokyo or somewhere near the village where Soyo lives. On the way to the film’s conclusion, the movie is filled with delightful moments of charm. From scenic shots of the village rice field, to experiencing the small town feel of neighbors knowing each neighbor since they were born, to Hiromi and Soyo taking a chaperoned trip to Tokyo there’s so many things in “A Gentle Breeze in the Village” to take in. This was also the first time I have seen the teenage actress Karu perform in a film. With her quirky personality and pigtails my first reaction was to think of her character as a bit of a knock off from the Juri Ueno character in “Swing Girls.” By the end of the film I had long forgotten any such silly notions and came away a huge fan of her performance.
You can certainly make a case for what “A Gentle Breeze in the Village” doesn’t have. A dynamic plot, sex, violence, and melodrama are all elements you’ll find lacking in the movie. What “A Gentle Breeze in the Village” does have is the splendor of youth, the tranquility of nature, and the vivacity of life all molded together in an idealized world where each and every moment is the most memorable. A place I would like to revisit again. A gentle breeze in the village indeed.