Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi: Summer Special 2011

While Suzaki Saika (Ashida Mana) is hospitalised for poor health, her father, Tamotsu (Totsugi Shigeyuki) feels torn that he has to leave here and go on a business trip. A portrait of Saika’s late mother is placed beside her bed. Her mother had died in exchange for bringing her into this world. Tamotsu puts a paper with his mobile phone number written on it inside an amulet and hands it to Saika. He asks the nurse Tokunaga Maki (Minamisawa Nao) to keep an eye on Saika, and leaves for his trip. One night, a young girl calls out to a lonely Saika who cannot get to sleep. A long-haired girl in a wheelchair in the old wing befriends Saika and plays with her everyday. However, by the time Saika realises it, she has awaken from her sleep. Was that a dream? When she talks about the girl in the wheelchair, Maki’s expression freezes. What happened at this hospital?

Directed by Tomonobu Moriwaki, Norio Tsuruta, Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi: Summer Special 2011 leans on a strong ensemble — Mana Ashida, Kazuaki Hankai, Goro Inagaki — 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 2011.