Synopsis
Japan, 1944. Trained for intelligence work, Hiroo Onoda, 22 years old, discovers a philosophy contrary to the official line: no suicide; stay alive whatever happens; the mission is more important than anything else. Sent to Lubang, a small island in the Philippines where the Americans are about to land, this role will be to wage a guerrilla war until the return of the Japanese troops. The Empire will surrender soon after; Onoda, 10,000 days later.
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Cast
- Yuya EndoYoung Onoda
- Kanji TsudaOld Onoda
- Yuya MatsuuraYoung Kozuka
- Chiba TetsuyaOld Kozuka
- Shinsuke KatoShimada
- Kai InowakiAkatsu
- Issey OgataMajor Taniguchi
- Taiga NakanoTourist
- Nobuhiro SuwaOnoda's Father
- Mutsuo YoshiokaCaptain Hayakawa
Recommendations
- 85
TheWrap
Soberly shifting from war thriller to apocalyptic drama to oddly sentimental buddy film, “Onoda” bears the weight of its many filmic forefathers. But as it pulls off such moves with such quiet force, it also represents a different kind of emergence. - 80
The Guardian
Here is a really well-made, old-fashioned anti-war epic in a forthright and robustly enjoyable style from director and co-writer Arthur Harari. - 80
Screen Daily
This gripping tale of misguided patriotism recreates a vanished set of circumstances via excellent performances and well-tailored cinematic choices. While there are a few meditative lulls in this 165-minute adventure — which opens Un Certain Regard in Cannes — the proceedings are never dull and an accretion of detail leads to a memorably moving denouement. - 80
Variety
Part John Ford, part Sam Fuller, the film’s old-fashioned approach is oddly impressive: To tell this kind of story in such blunt-edged, straightforward style is a distinctive choice when the temptation to veer into revisionist war-is-hell commentary, Malickian nature-study or Herzogian descent-into-madness bombast must have been strong. - 80
Little White Lies
Harari’s film is a practical, simple and saddening document of everyday madness. - 67
Collider
In the end, the movie is about a delusional guy who doesn't realize he's been indoctrinated, but it is also an emotional exploration of loyalty, camaraderie, and stubbornness.
