Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World (2004)

Profile

• Movie: Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World
• Romaji: Sekai no chushin de, ai o sakebu
• Japanese: 世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ

• Director: Isao Yukisada
• Writer: Isao Yukisada, Yuji Sakamoto, Chihiro Ito
• Assistant Director: Masatoshi Kurakata
• Producer: Kei Haruna, Minami Ichikawa
• Cinematographer Noboru Shinoda
• Release Date: May 8, 2004
• Runtime: 138 min.
• Genre: Award Winning / Award Winning-Drama / Award Winning-Romance / Award Winning-Illness / Past & Present / Award Winning-Sisters
• Production Company: TBS, Toho, Stardust Promotion
• Distributor: Toho
• Language: Japanese
• Country: Japan

Plot

Ritsuko discovers an old cassette tape, while packing her things to move into a new apartment. She listens to the tape and hears the voice of a frail girl saying “I’m so afraid of tomorrow that I can’t fall asleep. I think I’m going to die soon.” Soon after, Ritsuko leaves a sparse note for her fiance Saku, “I’m going away for a while. Don’t worry about me. – Ritsuko.” During this time a Typhoon is approaching Japan and Saku watches the news at his friends bar. He spots his fiance walking in the background of a news report at the airport. He knows Ritsuko is going to her home town of Shikoku and Saku decides to go back there as well, the place where he grew up and first met Ritsuko and the girl on the tape.