Okiku and the World
Okiku and the World (Japanese: せかいのおきく, Hepburn: Sekai no Okiku) is a 2023 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Junji Sakamoto.
Plot
It is the Bakumatsu era and two men, Chūji and Yasuke, collect human waste in the outhouses of Edo (now Tokyo) and bring it to farms in the countryside to sell as fertilizer. One day in a rainstorm, they meet Okiku, who is the daughter of the rōnin Matsumura Genbei and who teaches children how to read and write. Chūji falls in love with her but they are of different social classes. Genbei is involved in some of the political machinations taking place during the end of the shogunate, and is killed by other samurai. Okiku tried to save him, but she herself is cut in the throat and, while surviving, loses her voice. Refusing to leave her small domicile, Okiku is finally brought out into the world by Chūji's love. She resumes teaching children, stressing the importance of the word "world".
Cast
- Haru Kuroki as Okiku
- Kanichiro as Chūji
- Sosuke Ikematsu as Yasuke
- Kōichi Satō as Matsumura Genbei
- Renji Ishibashi as Magoshichi
- Claude Maki as Kijun, a priest
Reception
Okiku and the World was given the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film of the Year in 2023 in the magazine's poll of film critics.[1] Sakamoto also won the Kinema Junpo Award for Best Screenplay.[1] At the Mainichi Film Awards, the film won Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Sound Recording.[2]
References
- ^ a b "キネマ旬報ベスト・テンは『せかいのおきく』が2冠！". MOVIE WALKER PRESS (in Japanese). 19 February 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "「せかいのおきく」毎日映画コンクールで3冠、主演賞は鈴木亮平と杉咲花（杉咲花の受賞コメントあり）". 映画ナタリー (in Japanese). 19 January 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2025.