Stranger of Mine (Unmei Jannai Hito / 運命じゃない人)
Unmei Janai Hito（運命じゃない人）, which literally means “a person who is not your destiny” is a light and touching film written and directed by director Kenji Uchida. It’s english title is “Stranger of Mine”. I saw it in a Japanese Film Festival and immediately became a fan of Mr. Uchida. It isn’t a very famous movie in Japan where it was released in 2005. In fact I haven’t met a Japanese that has seen it, which is unfortunate because it is such a solid film. It is actually internationall acclaimed having received 3 awards from the Cannes Film Festival. Its humor is universal but its plot seems uniquely Uchida’s own. It has no deep philosophical angles, nor does it require deep analysis. Its simply a simple day in the life of Takeshi Miyata which turns out not to be so simple after all.
One can’t really discuss this film without spoiling some twists so I’ll stop right here. I just felt I had to write about it because this movie deserves to be seen by more people. It is available in leading bookstores or DVD shops in Japan, though I haven’t found one with English subtitles yet. I’ll update you when I finally find one!
Heres a trailer from youtube:
