is a 2004

2004 in film

The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...

 Japanese film

Cinema of Japan

The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...

 directed by Eiji Okuda

Eiji Okuda

is a Japanese actor and film director. Born in Kasugai, Aichi, he was nominated for the Best Actor award at the 1990 Japanese Academy Awards for his performance in Sen no Rikyu...

. The film is set in 1838, and follows the fate of various people exiled to remote Hachijo Island

Hachijojima

is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea, administered by Tōkyō and located approximately south of the Special Wards of Tōkyō. It is the southernmost and most isolated of the Izu Seven Islands group of the seven northern islands of the Izu archipelago...

 in the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

. The main character is Toyogiku, a courtesan exiled a number of years ago for arson, who longs to return to the mainland. The exiles often experience starvation, but are punished by death if caught trying to escape. The film's drama is provided by two new exiles, Kisaburo and Kacho, who upset the status quo on the island.

The cast includes Keiko Matsuzaka

Keiko Matsuzaka

is an actress.Born in Ōta, Tokyo, her father was a naturalized South Korean while her mother was Japanese. Active as a child actress in the 1960s, she came into her own as an adult with Daiei, then in 1972 with Shochiku....

 (Toyogiku, the exiled courtesan), Kazuhiro Nishijima (Kisaburo, the gambler), Mariya Ito (Kacho, the prostitute), Jinpachi Nezu

Jinpachi Nezu

is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in 56 films and television shows since 1974. He starred in the 1982 film Farewell to the Land, which was entered into the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Kagemusha...

 (Inaba), Eiji Okuda

Eiji Okuda

is a Japanese actor and film director. Born in Kasugai, Aichi, he was nominated for the Best Actor award at the 1990 Japanese Academy Awards for his performance in Sen no Rikyu...

 (Kinjiro, the rich man) and Mayu Ozawa (Ochiyo).