It's Only Talk
| It's Only Talk | |
|---|---|
It's Only Talk film poster | |
| Directed by | Ryūichi Hiroki |
| Written by | Akiko Itoyama (original book) Haruhiko Arai (screenplay) |
| Produced by | Akira Morishige |
| Starring | Shinobu Terajima Etsushi Toyokawa Akira Emoto Shunsuke Matsuoka Nao Omori Tomorowo Taguchi Satoshi Tsumabuki |
| Cinematography | Kazuhiro Suzuki |
| Edited by | Junichi Kikuchi |
| Music by | Nido |
| Distributed by | Gold View Co., Ltd (international) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
It's Only Talk (やわらかい生活) is a Japanese film, released in 2005 and is based on the prizewinning novel of the same title written by Akiko Itoyama and directed by Ryūichi Hiroki.[1]
Plot summary
Yuko, is 35 years old; unemployed, single and is on medication to combat manic depression. There are a number of men in Yuko's life:
- her college friend, Homma, now a member of parliament;
- K, a confessed pervert who she meets on the Internet;
- Yasuda, a manic depressive young gang member;
- Soichi, Yuko's cousin who separated from his wife and child, and was also dumped by his mistress.
Yuko seems to create a different persona depending on whom she is talking to at the time. By the end of the movie, Yuko knows that she needs more than what Soichi and the other men in her life can give her. We all need a soft life—the literal meaning of "Yawarakai Seikatsu"—once in a while, but as Yuko discovers, there's also something to be said for this hard thing called reality.
Cast
- Shinobu Terajima as Yuko.
- Etsushi Toyokawa as Shoichi, Yuko's cousin.
- Shunsuke Matsuoka as Homma, Yuko's friend.
- Tomorowo Taguchi as "K", an architect and self-confessed pervert.
- Satoshi Tsumabuki as Noboru, a manic depressive gang member, whom Yuko meets him through the Internet.
Awards
| Award | Date | Category | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brisbane International Film Festival | 2005 | FIPRESCI Award | Won | |
| Singapore International Film Festival | 2006 | Grand Prize | Won | [2] |
| Barcelona Asian Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | [3] |
References
- ^ Scheib, Ronnie (18 July 2006). "It's Only Talk". Variety. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ Lim Fong, Wei (2006). "Overview: A Year with Strong Feminine Presence". International Federation of Film Critics. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ^ CCCB 2006 Annual report (PDF) (Report). Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. p. 19. Retrieved 11 March 2026.