Coming Soon

Love Letter

Directed by Shunji Iwai
Film Movement Classics
1995
117 Minutes
Japan
Japanese
Classics, Drama, Romance, Asian
PG
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After losing her fiance in a fatal mountain-climbing incident, Hiroko was devastated. She comes across his childhood address in a school yearbook and impulsively writes to him. But what happens when she receives a reply?

Shunji Iwai's popular 1995 film presented in a new 4K restoration.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Shunji Iwai
  • Starring: Miho Nakayama
  • Starring: Etsushi Toyokawa
  • Starring: Bunjaku Han
  • Starring: Takashi Kashiwabara
  • Starring: Miki Sakai

Where to Watch

Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "“Love Letter” is an extremely attractive and succulently filmed love story given several unusual twists by talented first-time writer-director Shunji Iwai. Magnificent widescreen camerawork by Noboru Shinoda and a fine cast are extra pluses."
    David Stratton, Variety
  • "This movie is gloriously brilliant in its evocation of sentimentality and nostalgia for things long gone… Many reviewers hail “Love Letter” as the greatest romance story from Japan. To me, it is the greatest sentimental story ever told."
    Oliver Ebisuno, Asian Movie Pulse
  • "One of the big box-office successes of the nineties and starring one of the most popular young women of J-pop, Love Letter could easily have turned out to be a wide-screen Hallmark TV movie, but it is in fact an often charming and insightful story about lost love in its many forms."
    Japan On Film
  • "[A] profoundly moving romantic melodrama.... A huge hit and pop culture phenomenon throughout Asia on its 1995 release, Iwai’s first theatrical feature bears many of the hallmarks of his enduring style in its soft focus, ethereal lighting and emphasis on nostalgia as the two women at the film’s centre each restore something to the other through their serendipitous correspondence."
    Hayley Scanlon, Windows on Worlds
  • "A triumphant first feature for Shunji Iwai.... Miho Nakamaya's performance is superb: finely shaded and balanced, it animates the entire movie. Love Letter's editing and cinematography deserve top billing, along with its director."
    Shelly Kraicer, ChineseCinemas.org
Winner
Newcomer of the Year
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Winner
Popularity Award
Awards of the Japanese Academy
Winner
Best Actress
Blue Ribbon Awards
Winner
6 Awards inc. Best Film, Director
Yokohama Film Festival
Official Selection
Toronto Int'l. Film Festival
Official Selection
Hong Kong Int'l. Film Festival
Official Selection
Tokyo Int'l. Film Festival
Official Selection
Shanghai Int'l. Film Festival

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