They Say Nothing Stays the Same
2019 · Movie · 137 min · ★ 6.8 · 83% critics
A quiet boatman spends his days ferrying villagers across a river, keeping mostly to himself as a new bridge rises upstream and promises change. When he offers shelter to a mysterious girl with nowhere to go, his routine and outlook begin to shift in unexpected ways.
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Streaming on Film Movement Plus.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- ある船頭の話
- Years
- 2019
- Release date
- 2019-09-13
- Language
- Japanese
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.8/10 (6 votes)
About
If you enjoy calm, character-driven dramas about everyday change and unexpected connections, this may fit, especially if you liked True Mothers or Under the Open Sky; Not for you if you want fast pacing and big plot turns.
Pros: gentle character focus; reflective rural setting; quiet emotional shifts | Cons: slow-paced story; minimal dialogue; low on action
Themes
- mysterious woman
- meiji period
- ferryman
Cast & crew
Akira Emoto
as Toichi
Ririka Kawashima
as A Girl
Nijiro Murakami
as Genzo
Tsuyoshi Ihara
as The Man from the Construction Site
Tadanobu Asano
as Regular customer
Jun Murakami
as Merchant
Yu Aoi
as Geisha
Takashi Sasano
as Ushi's customer
Mitsuko Kusabue
as Woman on the Boat
Haruomi Hosono
as Nihei's Father
Directed by Joe Odagiri