Okiku and the World
Okiku and the World is a 2023 Japanese film directed by Junji Sakamoto.
Plot
It is the Bakumatsu era and two men, Chūji and Yasuke, collect human waste in the outhouses of Edo and bring it to farms in the countryside to sell as fertilizer. One day in a rainstorm, they meet Okiku, who is the daughter of the Matsumura Genbei and who teaches children how to read and write. Chūji falls in love with her but they are of different social classes. Genbei is involved in some of the political machinations taking place during the end of the shogunate, and is killed by other samurai. Okiku tried to save him, but she herself is cut in the throat and, while surviving, loses her voice. Refusing to leave her small domicile, Okiku is finally brought out into the world by Chūji's love. She resumes teaching children, stressing the importance of the word "world".Cast
- Haru Kuroki as Okiku
- Kanichiro as Chūji
- Sosuke Ikematsu as Yasuke
- Kōichi Satō as Matsumura Genbei
- Renji Ishibashi as Magoshichi
- Claude Maki as Kijun, a priest