| Harmful Insect | |
|---|---|
 Japanese poster | |
| Directed by | Akihiko Shiota |
| Produced by | Takashi Hirano Hiroyuki Negishi |
| Written by | Kiyono Yayoi |
| Cinematography | Tokusho Kikumura |
| Editing by | Yoshio Sugano |
| Distributed by | Nikkatsu |
| Released | September 6, 2001 (Venice Film Festival) |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| IMDb profile | |
| JMDb profile | |
Harmful Insect (害虫 Gaichu) is a 2001 Japanese film written by Kiyono Yayoi and directed by Akihiko Shiota. It follows a girl named Sachiko after her father dies, her mother attempts suicide, and her entire class is gossiping about her possibly having an affair with her sixth grade teacher who recently moved away. Because of all this, Sachiko stops going to school and hangs out with a street-dweller named Takao and his mentally disabled friend. When Takao is beaten to death Sachiko is forced to return to her former life, only to face more unwanted trauma at the hands of adults who never seem to have her best interests in mind.
Cast[]
- Aoi Miyazaki ... Sachiko Kita
- Seiichi Tanabe ... Ogata
- Tetsu Sawaki ... Takao
- Ryo Amamiya ... Tokugawa
- Koji Ishikawa ... Kyuzo
- Yu Aoi ... Natsuko
- Yusuke Iseya ... Coffee shop guy
- Ryo ... Toshiko Kita
- Yusaku Suzuki ... Hanasaka
- Yuri Yoneoka ... Soko
- Yuria Haga ... Rumi
- Mihoko Handa ... Yukiko
- Takayo Mimura ... Kazumi
- Kenjiro Ishimaru ... Middle-aged man in convenience store
- Houka Kinoshita ... Truck driver
- Ken Mitsuishi ... Man with cell phone
- Megumi Miwa
- Nao Omori ... Man at love hotel
- Yuriko Onuma ... Natsuko's mother
- Mai Sasaki ... Kagemaru
- Eihi Shiina ... Music teacher
- Yoshitaka Suji ... Chemistry teacher
- Susumu Terajima
- Masahiro Toda ... Ogata's colleague
External links[]
- Harmful Insect review at The Japan Times