忘れ者 (Wasuremono) is a feature-length documentary about loneliness and
connection in Japan, directed and produced by Ethan Gailushas. It runs roughly
90 minutes.
There are two versions. The Japanese version is fully Japanese audio with
Japanese subtitles; the English version is in English. Which one to watch is the
first thing worth knowing, so the site asks before it hands over a link.
The title
忘れ者 reads as forgotten person. It plays on 忘れ物, the everyday word for a
lost or left-behind object — the thing on lost-and-found signs. The film is
about people left behind in the same way.
What it covers
Loneliness and connection in contemporary Japan, and the tension between a
society organised around convenience and the kinds of connection that
convenience makes unnecessary.
Who is in it
- Akihiko Kondo, who married the vocal synthesiser character Hatsune Miku.
- Tokyo's most in-demand rental girlfriend, working as Mary Sakurai.
- Sakura Kudo, a college student in Hokkaido, on friends who maintain a
front while wanting connection. Dr. Tsuyoshi Ono, a Tokyo pediatric
psychiatrist, is cut into the middle of her interview.
- Tsukimi Ayano, who fills the depopulated village of Nagoro with life-sized
dolls of its former residents.
- A children's ice hockey team, the Hiroshima Collectors.
How it was made
Ethan shot, recorded, edited and produced it himself, in Japanese and English,
while studying at Keio University on exchange from UNC Chapel Hill. The work was
supported by the Morehead-Cain Foundation.
Where to watch
Both versions are on YouTube. The site attaches the links itself, so ask for the
film and the choice of language comes with it.