Virtual Screening
Official selection
Busan International Film Festival 1998
Toronto International Film Festival 1998
Director
Shunji Iwai
Writer
Shunji Iwai
Cast
Kaori Fuji, Takako Matsu, Seiichi Tanabe
Cinematographer
Noboru Shinoda
Animator
Kazuhiko Katoh
contact
Rockwell Eyes Inc.
Uzuki Nireno (Takako Matsu), a shy girl from the countryside of northern Hokkaido, is heading to the big city for university. Settling into a new, exciting life, she comes to admit to herself that she might have ulterior motives in determining her choice of university: what if she came to Tokyo chasing a crush? To be near a boy, whom she fell in love with, before he moved away to work at a bookstore? What then? Like FIREWORKS, APRIL STORY is a remarkable example of Iwai’s talent as a chronicler of youthful experiences, here moving on from elementary school to tackle the momentous transition between high school and university – the first taste for complete independence, the shaping of identity, the new friendships and discoveries, the particular texture of light in a new apartment – with great pathos and an irresistible nostalgia. Featuring one of the all-time great umbrella scenes in the history of the medium and a joyful, magnetic performance from pop star Takako Matsu, APRIL STORY is an Iwai classic. – Ariel Esteban Cayer