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A geologist named Sandy finds herself stuck on a field trip to an Australian desert with a Japanese man she finds inscrutable, annoying and quite arrogant. For his part, the Japanese man, Hiromitsu, doesn’t hold a much higher view of her. Through a series of mishaps, the pair become stranded in the desert, which is in one of the most remote regions of Australia. As the two try to survive in the unwelcoming landscape and make their way back home, their journey leads them to self-discovery, lessons in tolerance, and changes the twosome in ways they never imagined.

Japanese Story had its premiere at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and has done the festival route since then, receiving positive critical reaction along the way. The film is now slated for a limited release beginning December 5th in New York and LA only, with expansion to other cities scheduled for an indeterminate later date. The currently planned release will qualify Japanese Story for Oscar consideration, and the speed and extent of the expansion will likely hinge on the film’s reception, both by critics and audiences, once it opens. Based on the warm critical response so far, especially for the performances of the two leads, the film may well enjoy a decent dissemination throughout the national art-house circuit. (Stephanie Star Smith/BOP)

Vital statistics for Japanese Story Main Cast Toni Collette, Gotaro Tsunashima, Matthew Dyktynski, Lynette Curran, Yumiko Tanaka Supporting Cast Kate Atkinson, John Howard, Bill Young, Reg Evans, George Shevtsov, Justine Clarke Director Sue Brooks Screenwriter Alison Tilson Distributor Samuel Goldwyn Co. Trailer Click Here for Trailer Rating R Running Time 100 minutes Screen Count 5 Awards Alison Tilson, 2003 Awgie Award for Feature Film - Original, Australian Writers' Guild Awards page for Japanese Story Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Japanese Story
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Homeward Bound 2	3/8/96	8.61	11.74	2119	4063.00	5331.5	32.74	44.66	3.80
Homeward Bound *	2/12/93	8.21	11.95	1702	4824.00	6758.3	41.65	60.66	5.06
My Dog Skip	3/3/00	5.86	6.55	2331	2514.00	2705.2	34.10	38.14	5.70
Fly Away Home	9/13/96	4.71	6.42	1320	3568.00	4682.0	24.54	33.47	5.21
Far Off Place, A	3/12/93	3.52	5.12	1610	2186.00	3062.5	12.89	18.77	3.66
Rabbit-Proof Fence	11/29/02	0.43	0.44	84	5171.00	5171.0	6.20	6.44	13.14