TONY TAKITANI is an eloquent, deftly told tale based on a short story published in The New Yorker, written by Japanese bestselling author Haruki Murakami (NORWEGIAN WOOD, KAFKA ON THE SHORE). Issey Ogata stars as the title character, a simple, undemanding mechanical draftsman who lives a lonely existence. His mother died shortly after he was born, and his father (also played by Ogata) is a jazz musician who is rarely around. But when Tony meets the young and beautiful Eiko (Miyazawa Rie), he falls for her instantly, despite their 15-year age difference. Their friendship slowly develops into love, and Tony soon discovers that Eiko is a shopaholic who cannot stop buying clothing. When tragedy strikes, Tony is forced to look at his life in a whole different way.

Written and directed by Jun Ichikawa (RYOMA'S WIFE, HER HUSBAND AND HER LOVER), TONY TAKITANI is told in long scenes with little or no dialogue; sometimes the characters themselves finish parts of the narration, which is delivered by Hidetoshi Nishijima at a soft, deliberate pace. The intelligent script, which is extremely faithful to Murakami's original story, is accompanied by Ryuichi Sakamoto's gorgeous, spare score and Hirokawa Taishi's stark, captivating cinematography.

Theatrical Release: July 29, 2005

TONY TAKITANI was the winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival.

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Issey Ogata: YI YI
Miyazawa Rie: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Hidetoshi Nishijima: Actor, DOLLS (2004)
Shinohara Takahumi: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Shihodo Wataru: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Kino Hana: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Kusano Toru: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Oyamada Sayuri: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)
Tanigawa Saho: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)

Jun Ichikawa: Director, TONY TAKITANI (2005)

Ishida Motoki: Actor, TONY TAKITANI (2005)

Jun Ichikawa: Director, TONY TAKITANI (2005)

"A delicate wisp of a film with a surprisingly sharp sting..."
"It's a quiet dream of a movie, a vision of loneliness giving way to love..."
Included in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Films Of The Year -- "A quiet dream of a movie -- it's like VERTIGO refashioned into a sedately haunted Japanese tone poem."
"[T]he film renders Murakami's story very satisfyingly; it's an engrossing and affecting watch."
4 stars out of 5 -- "A small, perfectly formed tale of loneliness and addiction, it succeeds in matching the way the action in Murakami's prose takes place between the lines."