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Dolls — Main characters

Main characters

  • Matsumoto, the primary male protagonist, once high in management at a successful comany
  • Sawako, his jilted fiance
  • Hiro, an aging Mafia boss
  • Ryoko, his girlfriend from his early days
  • Yamaguchi Haruna, a well-known pop singer
  • Nukui, one of Haruna's male fans

Director: KITANO Takeshi (Japanese, Tokyo)
Year released: 2002
Running time: 1:56
Setting: contemporary time setting; place is urban Japan shifting to rural Japan
IMDb: Dolls
Release data (Box Office Mojo): (listing not confirmed)

Primary storyline —

Matsumoto: the primary male protagonist, once high in management at a successful company, loves Sawako

Sawako: jilted fiance of Matsumoto, primary female protagonist

Secondary storyline #1 —

Hiro: (there is a young and old version of him) aging mafia boss who regrets not having stayed with his young lover Ryoko

Ryoko: (there is a young and old version of her) jilted lover of the young Hiro who waits for him in a park

Secondary storyline #2 —

Yamaguchi Haruna: a pretty pop singer

Nukui: one of Haruna's devoted male fans (the other is Aoki)

There is also a pair of men, one in a wheelchair, who appear throughout the film.

Topics of focus for this film:

Non-linearity of timelines in overall film and at the level of each story.
Relationship among these: faithfulness / bonds / fate.
Nihilism as a context for romantic narratives.
Memories in 2046 and Dolls.
Dreaminess in Dolls and Genji.
Definitions of love in Dolls and Genji.

Module 01: Scenes 01-07 (36 min.)
Module 02: Scenes 08-13 (41 min.)
Module 03: Scenes 14-18 (33 min.)

Availability on campus:

Media Center (Moffitt) — DVD 5994