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Movie Info & Details
Release Year2008
Runtime2h 19m
LanguageJapanese
CertificationNR
GenresTV Movie, War, Drama
Votes3
DirectorKatsuo Fukuzawa
WritersShinobu Hashimoto
TypeFeature Film
Rating8.3 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsI Want to Be a Shellfish
About I Want to Be a Shellfish
1944, in the depths of World War II. Toyomatsu Shimizu is a completely typical barber from a remote sea-side town who lives frugally but happily with his wife Fusae and their five-year-old son. Eventually, though, the army beckons and he is drafted. One day an officer on the battle-field orders him to kill a captive U.S. soldier. Although Toyomatsu lacks the spirit to kill the man, and only wounds him in the arm, the victorious U.S. soldiers will not accept this, and Toyomatsu is arrested and tried as a war-criminal. And he receives the cruelest sentence possible...
Directed by Katsuo Fukuzawa, I Want to Be a Shellfish leans on a strong ensemble — Masahiro Nakai, Yukie Nakama, Yuki Shibamoto — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about tv movie titles of 2008.
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