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Poster for Dolls

Dolls

Seen it?

2002 | 114 min | Drama, Romance

Sunday Safe Bet

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

It earned strong reviews (73% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for romantics. If you loved 45 Years, start here.
The mood
Warm and romantic.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 54 min.
What might put you off
It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Dolls takes puppeteering as its overriding motif, which relates thematically to the action provided by the live characters. Chief among those tales is the story of Matsumoto and Sawako, a young couple whose relationship is about to be broken apart by the former's parents, who have insisted their son take part in an arranged marriage to his boss' daughter.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    73% on Rotten Tomatoes, 71 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesSolid

    7.5 out of 10

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Streaming release that reached a modest audience; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 16K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Takeshi Kitano

  • Miho KannoSawako
  • Hidetoshi NishijimaMatsumoto
  • Tatsuya MihashiHiro
  • Chieko MatsubaraRyoko
  • Kyoko FukadaHaruna Yamaguchi
  • Tsutomu TakeshigeNukui
  • Kayoko KishimotoHaruna's Aunt
  • Nao OmoriMatsumoto's Colleague
  • Kanji TsudaYoung Hiro
  • Yuko DaikeYoung Ryoko