Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

72% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

In this visually stunning drama, three romantic tales are told using elements of Japanese Bunraku puppet theater. In the first, Sawako (Miho Kanno) becomes suicidal when her fiancé, Matsumoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima), leaves her to marry the boss's daughter. Next, an obsessed fan, Nukui (Tsutomu Takeshige), expresses his love for pop singer Haruna (Kyoko Fukada) in a highly violent manner. Then, aging gangster Hiro (Tatsuya Mihashi) attempts to reconnect with an old flame (Chieko Matsubara).

Dolls

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Critics Consensus

Dolls doesn't offer easy answers, but for audiences attuned to its beguiling wavelength, writer-director Takeshi Kitano's work offers rich, distinctive rewards.

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Critics Reviews

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Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Alexander Walker London Evening Standard Perhaps the best advice is, stop worrying about meaning. Sit back, enjoy its rich design, costumes, landscape and colours. Dec 14, 2017 Full Review Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Empire Magazine Rated: 4/5 Nov 8, 2007 Full Review Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (3) G. Allen Johnson San Francisco Chronicle The cinematography is colorful and sweeping, the editing and storytelling simple and pure. Rated: 3/4 Mar 11, 2005 Full Review Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (4) Christopher Machell CineVue Kitano's sensibilities as a blackly-comic director serve the film well Rated: 4/5 Jan 17, 2017 Full Review Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Rated: C Sep 23, 2011 Full Review Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid The stories have a fateful, lonely feel, like one of Wong Kar-wai's missed connections. Yet their tragic timelessness, and the lovely, aching pace at which they are told, bring them to a level of extraordinary beauty. Nov 8, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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David G Her is a good review https://t.me/nastkinopro/32 Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review isla s I could see early on this is a film about relationships and fragility. It has quite a light and floaty musical score playing in the background. Watching the tears fall slowly from the female characters face, relatively early on, I found quite moving, even though there's no obvious context to this given, at the time. Its also about symbolism, I'd say. it's quite a visual film, with lots of colours and traditional music at times. Its also about reticence and feeling like your, or actually being, under someone else's control (influence). It's very much a quiet and thoughtful film with a sad tone to it. I thought it was quite touching, so I would recommend this film, yes. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A pure masterpiece. Dolls is a deep exploration into Emotions, Obsession and Love and just how far people go with them. Vastly different to Kitanos other films but still offers moments of his ludicrous humour. I think Dolls won't be for everyone but if you get it then i can assure you it'll be one of the best film experiences you have. My only advice is use your heart for this film and not your brain Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member I believe it's my first full Takeshi Kitano flick, one of many acclaimed directors of Japan and Asia. This is a piece with love as theme, but there is so much more to it between the dialogue and what's seen on screen at first glance.It opens with a weird Bunraku doll show - plenty of guys controlling two dolls with they're hands as some other fellas make music and add screaming voices. This goes into a story about a wedding never happening, then into an old yakuza remembering back to his true love and then there is a pop star involved in a car crash.Not one of these three stories really affect me, but the couple tied together in a red rope, along with a few other people, glue this thing together as we see them often. This is not an easy film to follow since there is flashbacks and short scenes of these mentioned people all over here - chopping up the three main stories.This film is about the "glue" for me - the way of sticking this big aesthetic bowl together. Beautiful music and amazing shots and colors are the true strenght of this film. Sadly it's slow and weird - mixed the way that makes it flat as well, but the glue and the overall vibe is saving this film for me. I believe it's a piece that will grow on me in a weid way. I hated it at times when I saw it, but it got better for each minute and once it sinks in I believe it will be a film that was worth watching.Depressing and artistic, beliveable but different. Filled with emotions and great looks, thin when it comes to really gripping scenes. It does hit you with some true emotions over little things like broken air-blow toys, though.7 out of 10 red leaves. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I can't say I fully understand the movie. I think there's always something mysterious in Kitano's films, a depth that I don't quite get, or maybe it's the Japanese culture, but anyway it's a beautiful film with two endearing actors. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member The exploration of themes of Love and Death is amazing as they are treated in a wholly opposite manner; Love in the cases of Sawako, Nyuiki and Ryoko destroy, on the other hand, Death is the culmination of efforts of sorts for Nyuiki, The leashed beggars and even Hiro. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Takeshi Kitano Director Miho Kanno Sawako Hidetoshi Nishijima Matsumoto Tatsuya Mihashi Hiro, the Boss Chieko Matsubara Ryoko, the Woman in the Park Kyoko Fukada Haruna Yamaguchi, the Pop Star
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Dolls

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Synopsis In this visually stunning drama, three romantic tales are told using elements of Japanese Bunraku puppet theater. In the first, Sawako (Miho Kanno) becomes suicidal when her fiancé, Matsumoto (Hidetoshi Nishijima), leaves her to marry the boss's daughter. Next, an obsessed fan, Nukui (Tsutomu Takeshige), expresses his love for pop singer Haruna (Kyoko Fukada) in a highly violent manner. Then, aging gangster Hiro (Tatsuya Mihashi) attempts to reconnect with an old flame (Chieko Matsubara).

Director
Takeshi Kitano

Producer
Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida

Screenwriter
Takeshi Kitano

Distributor
Palm Pictures

Production Co
Bandai Visual Co. Ltd., TV Tokyo, Office Kitano

Genre
Drama, Romance

Original Language
Japanese

Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 5, 2002, Original

Release Date (DVD)
Mar 8, 2005

Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.1K

Runtime
1h 53m

Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital
Dolls (2002) | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

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