Air Doll

Air Doll ( Kki Ningy) is a 2009 Japanese collected with the garbage.
drama lm directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. It is based on
the manga series Kuuki Ningyo by Yoshiie Gda, which
was serialized in the seinen manga magazine Big Comic
2 Cast
Original,* [2] and is about an inatable doll that develops
a consciousness and falls in love.* [3] The movie debuted
Bae Doona as Nozomi (Air Doll)
in the Un Certain Regard section at the 62nd Cannes
*
*
Film Festival. [4] [5] It opened in Japanese cinemas on
Arata as Junichi
26 September 2009.
Itsuji Itao as Hideo

Director Koreeda has stated that the lm is about the

loneliness of urban life and the question of what it means
to be human.* [6]* [7]

Joe Odagiri as Sonoda (the doll maker)

Sumiko Fuji as Chiyoko

Plot

Masaya Takahashi as Keiichi

Susumu Terajima as Todoroki

Middle-aged Hideo lives alone with an inatable sex doll

he calls Nozomi. The doll is his closest companion; he
dresses it up, talks to it over dinner, takes it out for walks
in a wheelchair, and has sexual intercourse with it.

Kimiko Yo as Yoshiko

While Hideo is at work, Nozomi comes to life. She

dresses in her maid's outt and explores the world out- 3 Reception
side their apartment with wonder. Eventually she takes a
job in a video store and becomes romantically involved Air Doll received mixed reviews from critics. Review agwith one of the employees, Junichi. When she acciden- gregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 45% of 20 profestally cuts herself and deates, Junichi repairs the tear with sional critics gave the lm a positive review.* [8]
adhesive tape and reinates her.
Reaction to the lm's debut screening at Cannes was
One day, Hideo visits the store; she serves him, embar- mixed, with reviewers praising Bae Doona's performance
rassed, but he does not recognise her. Her boss presumes but criticising the lm for its length and a lack of subthat Hideo is her boyfriend and that she is cheating on Ju- stance. Screen International's Dan Fainaru described the
nichi. She allows him to have sex with her. At their home, lm as having a rather thin narrative coreand its diHideo discovers Nozomi is no longer a doll. He asks her rector's approach as too diuse, but concluded that
to return to lifelessness, as he nds human relationships it could be an enjoyable workunder the right conannoying. Hurt, she runs away from him.
ditions.* [9] Writing for Variety, Dan Ellery said the lm
Nozomi goes to the factory where she was created and would have potential if cut to about 90 minutes but that
meets her maker. He tells her that he believes all the dolls in its present form, pic* may not get much farther than
have hearts, as he can tell from their faces when they are the fest netherworld. [10] In contrast, The Hollywood
returned what kind of treatment they received. When she Reporter 's Maggie Lee described it asan achingly beauasks what happens to used dolls, he says he throws them tiful meditation on loneliness and longing in the cityand
suggested its themes would particularly appeal to female
out with the garbage.
audiences.* [11]
Nozomi tells Junichi she will do whatever he wants for
him. He asks to let out her air and reinate her as he
did in the video store. Afterwards, as he sleeps, she attempts to return the favour; nding no plug, she cuts him 4 DVD
with scissors, and attempts to stem the blood ow with
adhesive tape. Junichi dies and she leaves his body with The lm was released on DVD in Japan on 26 March
the garbage. Heartbroken, she removes the tape sealing 2010, in standard and limited editions. Both editions inher own wound and allows herself to slowly deate, to be clude English subtitles.* [12]* [13]
1

See also
Japanese lms of 2009

References

[1] "Air Doll". Boxocemojo. Retrieved March 04, 2012.

[2] Mainichi jp's news about the movie adaptation. 200902-16. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
[3] "Nobody Knows' Kore-eda Brings Air Doll to Cannes.
Anime News Network. 2009-04-23. Archived from the
original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
[4] Kuki Ningyo (Air Doll)". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[5] Shackleton, Liz (2009-04-29). Ocean Films takes
French rights to Kore-eda's Air Doll. Screen International. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[6] ""Air Dolloats over Un Certain Regard. festivalcannes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[7] Japan director says sex doll lm has lessons for life.
Bangkok Post. 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[8] Air Doll. Rotten Tomatoes
[9] Fainaru, Dan (2009-05-15). Air Doll (Kuki Ningyo)".
Screen International. Archived from the original on 20
May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[10] Ellery, Dan (2009-05-15).Air Doll. Variety. Archived
from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[11] Lee, Maggie (2009-05-15). Film Review: Air Doll.
The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-05-24.
[12] Air Doll (Regular Edition)". CDJapan. Archived from
the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
[13] Air Doll (Limited Edition)". CDJapan. Retrieved 201001-28.

External links
Ocial website (Japanese)
Air Doll at Fortissimo Films
Kki Ningy at the Internet Movie Database
Air Doll at Rotten Tomatoes

EXTERNAL LINKS

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1

Text

Air Doll Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air%20Doll?oldid=614446961 Contributors: Patrick, WhisperToMe, Sole Soul, Chobot,
DAJF, Huldra, SmackBot, Cattus, Lagozzino, Cydebot, Lugnuts, Simon Brady, ChuChu, Tweisbach, VolkovBot, Bovineboy2008, Magnius,
Kunchan, Aspects, Philippelombaert, MystBot, Addbot, Smetanahue, Download, Luckas-bot, Xqbot, , DASHBot, SporkBot,
Freddy eduardo, LetterLate, Mortenfyhn, Popcorndu, Rahil627 and Anonymous: 16

8.2

Images

8.3

Content license

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