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| A Pale View of Hills Casts a Spell Over Cannes — Hirose Suzu and Ishiguro Bring Postwar Ghosts to Life |
The red carpet at the 78th Cannes Film Festival 2025 just got a touch of quiet brilliance — thanks to Japan’s homegrown star Hirose Suzu and the literary genius of Kazuo Ishiguro. And no, this isn’t just another glitzy photocall or celebrity drop-by. Suzu came back to Cannes not just to walk — but to act. Properly.
Marking her first return to the Croisette in a decade since her breakout with Umimachi Diary (Our Little Sister), Hirose stars in the lead role of the film adaptation of Ishiguro’s debut novel, A Pale View of Hills. Directed by arthouse favourite Kei Ishikawa (of Aru Otoko fame), the film premiered under the prestigious “Un Certain Regard” section — known for spotlighting auteurs who aren’t afraid to go deep, raw, and experimental.
And this one? It hits all the marks.
A Cross-Continent Tale of Mothers, Memories, and the Unsaid
A Pale View of Hills isn’t your usual war drama. It’s quieter. More slippery. The story sways between 1950s Nagasaki and 1980s England — told through the fractured lens of memory, trauma, and a mother-daughter relationship that simmers with unspoken truths.
Camilla Aiko, a fresh-faced talent of Japanese-British descent, takes on the role of Niki — a woman revisiting her childhood home in the English suburbs to write a book. There, she reunites with her mother Etsuko (played by Hirose Suzu), whose past in Nagasaki holds more weight than she’s ever let on.
It’s a tale that unfolds in layers, through eerie conversations, half-finished sentences, and the looming presence of a woman named Sachiko (played by Fumi Nikaido), whose life and child haunt Etsuko’s recollections like a fog that never lifts.
In a beautiful casting twist, veteran actress Yō Yoshida plays the older Etsuko, a woman burdened by grief, guilt, and the quiet devastation of choices she made long ago. Her scenes — minimal, introspective — hit like a slow punch to the gut.
A Cast Worth Shouting About (Quietly, of Course)
The cast reads like a who’s who of Japanese screen royalty. Alongside Hirose, Nikaido and Yoshida, we get Kouhei Matsushita in the role of Etsuko’s stoic war-vet husband, and Tomokazu Miura as the school headmaster from her past. But it’s Camilla Aiko who steals quite a few scenes — a relative newcomer whose raw performance gives this film a modern, grounded pulse.
And here's the kicker — none other than Kazuo Ishiguro himself stepped in as executive producer. Yep, the Nobel Prize-winning author, who’s always been quietly hesitant about adaptations of his more ambiguous novels, was present in Cannes for the world premiere. His backing alone gives this project more weight than most literary films ever manage.
From Page to Screen — With Care, Class and a Lot of Nerve
Translating A Pale View of Hills was never going to be easy. The novel is all about what isn’t said. The unspeakable. The possibly unreliable. But director Kei Ishikawa somehow pulls it off, blending symbolism, muted performances, and a haunting score that lingers like smoke.
The visuals flicker between soft-lit postwar Nagasaki and dreary 1980s Britain, with transitions so seamless you forget which timeline you’re in — until a detail jolts you back. The result? A cinematic tapestry about heritage, regret, and emotional silence between generations that doesn’t spoon-feed or tie anything up in a bow.
And the reception? Rapturous silence, then applause. Cannes crowds may be notoriously tough, but this one hit them where it hurts (in the best way).
What’s Next?
After its Cannes premiere on 17 May at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, A Pale View of Hills is set to hit Japanese cinemas starting 5 September 2025 — with a TOHO Cinemas Hibiya launch before going nationwide. No confirmed UK release date yet, but trust — arthouse distributors will be all over this one.
In a year when film feels increasingly formulaic, Hirose Suzu and Kazuo Ishiguro have delivered something that feels… timeless. Quiet but sharp. Emotional, without ever begging for tears.
So if you’re into films that sit with you long after the credits roll, this one’s for you. Just be ready to feel things you didn’t expect.