"Hinokio" film screening at The Japan Foundation, 5A Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV > 6:30pm on 10th June 2011

Time : 6:30 pm

Entry : Free

Place : The Japan Foundation, 5A Ring Road, Lajpat Nagar IV, New Delhi - 110024

Venue Info : www.jfindia.org.in | Map | Events |  Nearest Metro Station - 'Moolchand'
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Event Details : 'Hinokio' Japanese film screening.

In present―day Japan, Iwamoto Satoru is a young boy who has shut himself off from the world. When his mother died in an accident, he was traumatized. He refuses any human contact and has shut himself in his room, only coming out to get food that his father, Kaoru, leaves for him on the table. His father is a scientist who helps to design robots. In order to help his son have some contact with the outside world he designs a robot for him.

Using his computer and a specially designed device, the robot goes to school in Satoru’ s place. In some ways, Satoru is inside the robot, even though he is still in his room. The children at the school are fascinated by the “ robot.” They nickname the robot Hinokio because it resembles Pinocchio and a part of its body is made of Japanese cypress (hinoki).

Hinokio soon develops a friendship with a tomboy named Jun, pretending to be a boy, who was at first bullying Hinokio with her classmates. Satoru gradually learns how to communicate with people again through Hinokio. Satoru and Jun’ s classmates play a popular role-playing video game that allows them to go to heaven or stay in purgatory. One of them gets hooked on it and begins to believe that the real world and the video game world are linked through the music of the game.

A rumor starts to spread that Hinokio is a demo robot being tested for military purposes.

Satoru rebels against his father and has Hinokio throw itself into the railroad crossing, after being blamed in the class for that. Unfortunately, Satoru had secretly installed a “ emotional feedback” system in Hinokio that sends sensations back to Satoru. As a result, the trauma that Hinokio experienced was sent back to Satoru and it leaves him hospitalized and in a coma.

During his unconsciousness, Satoru meets his mother, who tells him to go back and take care of his father. Jun also sets out to save him by playing the music from the video game on the top of the neighborhood water tower. Satoru recovers and no longer needs Hinokio to interact with the real world.

Director : Akiyama Takahiko

Year : 2005

Duration : 111 min.

Related Events : Films at Cultural Places | Movies