I just received the VHS copy of this movie that I ordered in Japan. Haven't had the chance to look at it but the movie looks very promising.

Below is a description of the movie I found on the net:

It is really appealing that this film shows more of the sorrow and depression of children than their vitality and cheerfulness. A10-year-old, fifth-grade boy already has even more complicated emotional worries than an adult. And more than that, he tries to resolve problems all by himself without asking his parents or teachers. He is more determined and independent than an adult and one could say it's marvelous. However, it makes us wonder if all of today's children are growing up that way -- in silence.

In this film, the twilight scenes are really impressive.

In ordinary films dealing with children, the energetic kids are placed under bright sunlight. Director Akihiko Shioda, however, often places the main character, Akira, and other children under the dim light of twilight.

Akira and his friend Koichi are walking home on a straight road by a river at dusk, all tired after playing. The camera follows a back view of the two boys going away. Do they have a certain place to be once they go home?

Nomura, who is good at making plastic models and to whom Akira gets close, dies suddenly. Akira doesn't know how to deal with the shock and keeps walking around town at dusk. A child is wandering around alone in the spooky twilight time. You can feel his speechless sorrow and regret -- it is almost painful. Daytime is over, but nighttime hasn't started. You can only see this child's melancholy during the short and fleeting twilight time.

At the end, Akira and Koichi who once quarreled get together again and launch fireworks along a riverside. It is again twilight. The twilight scene in this film is really beautiful.

Akira is often alone. He is removed from a group and sits down by himself in a field at an apartment complex. He walks around town by himself. He plays at the riverside alone.

There are not too many movies that describe a solitary child. It is almost better to call them an "individual" rather than a "child."

The reason Akira becomes friendly with a quiet lonely boy, Nomura, is not only because they both share a common passion over plastic models, but also because they feel intuitively that they are both "individuals" apart from their peers.

The scene of Nomura sketching at the park is also quite impressive. Nomura is sketching alone by the pond. The camera shows his back. Then Akira approaches. They both feel some kind of affection, but Akira leaves Nomura alone to be by himself, too. This is in contrast with girls who always form groups.

The way a back view of the children is repeatedly shown gives us sorrow. When Akira invites Nomura over to his room and they fly a paper plane from the window together, it should be the happiest moment for them. And yet, the camera shows the view from behind once again.

At the end, Akira tries to recover from the shock over Nomura's death and goes to the field, his favorite place, by himself. Again, the camera shows a back view of him. It shows that even a 10-year-old child has a back view. No adult can approach to this "individual."

The picture Nomura was drawing is displayed at an exhibition. When a close-up of the picture is shown, you see a depiction of Akira and Nomura running around a pond. I wonder if these "individuals" can play as a "child" only in a picture or a dream. Then, all of a sudden, the paradoxical title of "Dokomademo ikou (Don't Look Back)" struck me, and I couldn't stop crying.


I ordered the VHS movie through (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) There are a number of things though that you should keep in mind. Ordering the movie was quite expensive (US$ 45.84 including shipping to Europe), not sure if the movie is in PAL or NTSC (almost all text on the box is Japanese) and the movie has no subtitles. On the other hand the service of the website was quite good, the website is in English and the movie looks very promising.

After I watched the movie I will tell you if it was really worth buying.....

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Your review made me want to see that so much!

Let us know as soon as you view it!

Thanks for the suggestion. This is a movie I have never heard of before. I look forward to reading your review after you get a chance to see it.