Giovanni's Island

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Giovanni's Island

2014,

1h 42m,

Drama/

Animation

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Watchlist

Watchlist

78%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

100+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Two children from opposite sides of the border develop a friendship in the aftermath of a devastating conflict.

Charles Solomon

Los Angeles Times

Nov 6, 2014

The script by Shigemichi Sugita and Yoshiki Sakurai feels heavy-handed and obvious, especially in the drawn-out scenes when Kanta boards the magical railroad.

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Kate Muir

The Times (UK)

Oct 16, 2014

4/5

Charming.

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Leslie Felperin

Guardian

Oct 9, 2014

3/5

Affecting, if sometimes heavy on the sentiment ...

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Jeremy Looney

Common Sense Media

Jun 14, 2023

This animated historical drama inspired by true events covers serious events in a mature and thought-provoking way.

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Douglas Davidson

Elements of Madness

Mar 23, 2023

4/5

Told from the perspective of two young brothers, "Giovanni’s Island" is as much a tale of familial love and growing up, as it is about the way in which war tears us all apart, leaving nothing behind unless we take action to stop it.

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

Mar 7, 2019

4/10

It has some powerful moments and beautiful animation but it never really connected with me.

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Rey R

Aug 17, 2017

'Giovanni's Island' is a little film that focuses on two brothers from a small island off the coast of Japan and how the aftermath of WWII begins to affect them once Japan surrendered. Given that description, you might expect a dynamic and moving story. And yes, there were certainly some very touching scenes, particularly between the siblings, but unfortunately, the film seemed to be rather confused as to what it wanted to be and, as a result, felt like it was somewhat lost in no man's land, lacking the power it could have had had it committed to a particular tone and direction.

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Mizuho Nishikubo

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Synopsis

Two children from opposite sides of the border develop a friendship in the aftermath of a devastating conflict.

Director: Mizuho Nishikubo
Producer: Eric P. Sherman, Kaeko Sakamoto
Screenwriter: Shigemichi Sugita, Yoshiki Sakurai
Genre: Drama, Animation
Original Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1h 42m

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