Directed by:
Hirokazu Kore'edaScreenplay:
Hirokazu Kore'edaCinematography:
Mark LeeComposer:
Katsuhiko MaedaCast:
Doo-na Bae, 井浦新, Itsuji Itao, Jō Odagiri, Mari Hoshino, Susumu Terajima, Kimiko Yo, Tasuku Emoto, Junko Fuji, Takashi Yamanaka, Tomomi Maruyama, 岩松了, 安藤聖, 竹井亮介, 桜井聖 (more)Plots(1)
A life-size Air Doll lives in a shabby apartment in Tokyo. She cannot speak, nor can she move. But she is the only companion her middle-aged master has. He talks to her, puts her in a bath and makes love with her every day after he returns from work. This routine life is disrupted when fantasy turns into reality. The Air Doll suddenly comes to life, filled with a soul. Like a newborn baby, she doesn't understand what is going on around her, but she sees a world waiting to be explored outside the apartment. Eventually venturing to the outside world, the Air Doll is fascinated by everything she sees, and though she meets many people in all walks of life, they can't seem to provide her an answer to what ""being alive"" means. When the Air Doll wanders into a video store, her world is forever changed. She meets Junichi, the clerk, and immediately falls in love with him. Air Doll begins working in the store and everyday, she and Junichi become closer: they go to the movies and explore the city together... like a couple. Everything is going perfectly for the Air Doll, until one day when her hand is accidentally cut and she begins to deflate in front of Junichi... A romantic fantasy that explores the complexities of love and loss, joy and pain, fantasy and reality, internationally acclaimed director Kore-eda Hirokazu returns with this bittersweet love story that examines the intricacies and frailties of human existence. (Matchbox Films)
(more)Cast
Doo-na Bae
South Korea
Best movies:
Sense8 (2015) (series)
Sympathy for Mister Vengeance (2002)
Stranger (2017) (series)
井浦新
Japan
Best movies:
Like Father, Like Son (2013)
True Mothers (2020)
Ping Pong (2002)
Itsuji Itao
Japan
Best movies:
Love Exposure (2008)
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003)
Hanging Garden (2005)
Jō Odagiri
Japan
Best movies:
Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016)
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007)
The Great Passage (2013)
Mari Hoshino
Japan
Susumu Terajima
Japan
Best movies:
Nobody Knows (2004)
When Marnie Was There (2014)
Fireworks (1997)
Kimiko Yo
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Virgin Snow (2007)
A Tale of Samurai Cooking: A True Love Story (2013)
Tasuku Emoto
Japan
Best movies:
King Dog (2022)
The Lightning Tree (2010)
Air Doll (2009)
Junko Fuji
Japan
Best movies:
The Thirteen Assassins (1963)
Summer Wars (2009)
Hula Girls (2006)
Takashi Yamanaka
Japan
Best movies:
The Glorious Team Batista (2008)
Fish Story (2009)
All Around Us (2008)
Tomomi Maruyama
Japan
Best movies:
Nana (2005)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014)
Rurouni Kenshin 2: Kyoto Inferno (2014)
岩松了
Japan
Best movies:
Love Exposure (2008)
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007)
Mind Game (2004)
竹井亮介
Japan
Best movies:
Happy Flight (2008)
The Climbers High (2008)
Air Doll (2009)
桜井聖
Japan
Best movies:
Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007)
Air Doll (2009)
Hero (2007)
Mari Hayashida
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Nobody Knows (2004)
I Just Didn't Do It (2006)