Noriko's Dinner Table (2007)

Synopsis: Restless with her oppressively ordinary small-town existence, 17-year-old Noriko Shimabara discovers a Website called Haikyo.com where she forges online friendships with other girls her age. Under the guidance of a moderator called... Restless with her oppressively ordinary small-town existence, 17-year-old Noriko Shimabara discovers a Website called Haikyo.com where she forges online friendships with other girls her age. Under the guidance of a moderator called “Ueno Station 54” the girls bond into a tightly knit online community. Noriko has discovered her soul mates and runs away to Tokyo to meet the girls who have become such an important part of her life. In the urban labyrinth of Tokyo, Noriko meets the mysterious “Ueno Station 54” who calls herself Kumiko. Kumiko introduces her father, mother and younger brother – an enthusiastically happy family – but it soon becomes apparent that the roles of each family member are roles indeed. Kumiko is part of a bizarre “rental family” operation in which the players enact scenes of tenderness, conflict -- whatever family drama their lonely clients want to stage. Noriko joins the band of players and is a natural, even though she sometimes has difficulty separating the emotional play-acting from her real feelings. Six months after Noriko’s flight from home, Japan is shocked by news of a strange suicide club when 54 high school girls throw themselves in front of an oncoming train at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Back at home, Noriko’s younger sister, Yuka, begins to worry that Noriko may have been one of the girls in the train incident. She also joins Haikyo.com in an attempt to discover the fate of her missing sister, and runs away to try to find Noriko. With both daughters gone, the girls’ father, Tetsuzo, becomes obsessed with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his two daughters and the terrifying suicide circle that is panicking the nation. While Tetsuzo searches desperately for leads, his wife fatally succumbs to feelings of depression and guilt. Utterly alone, Tetsuzo embarks on a frantic hunt to find Noriko and Yuka and reunite his family. Even if it means he has to hire his own daughters to act the part… --© Tidepoint Pictures [More]

Starring: Tsugumi, Ken Mitsuishi

Starring: Tsugumi, Ken Mitsuishi

Director: Sion Sono

Director: Sion Sono
Screenwriter: Sion Sono
Studio: Tidepoint Pictures

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