The Friends

a film by Shinji Sômai
1994 (restored 2024), 113 minutes

Poster

Synopsis

It’s the dog days of summer vacation. Up to no good, a group of three wily young friends discover a decrepit house and the old coot who lives there all alone. They begin to spy on him, expecting to find his corpse when he dies. But soon, as they learn the sad story behind his present wretchedness, the boys develop a touching bond with the old-timer. They even help replant his overgrown garden. Shinji Somai’s follow-up to his acclaimed Moving is a comic spectacle of movement and play and a stirring contemplation on time’s ravages and delights. Evoking other preteen anarchist masterpieces like Typhoon Club and P.P. Rider, the film is another testament to Somai’s singular ability to enter into the unruly world of children, using his liberated long takes to stir up the energies of a raucous ensemble of first-time performers.

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Press Materials

Press Release

Where to watch

In Theaters

Playdates

Aug 22 - Film at Lincoln Center - New York, NY
Aug 26 - Acropolis - Los Angesles, CA
Aug 29 - Clinton Street Theater - Portland, OR
Aug 31 - The Beacon - Seattle, WA

Sept 6 - SIFF Cinemas - Seattle, WA
Sept 6 & 7 - Cleveland Cinematheque - Cleveland, OH
Sept 12 - Gene Siskel Film Center - Chicago, IL
Sept 12 - Cinema Public - Montreal, CAN
Sept 16 - American Cinematheque - Los Angeles, CA
Sept 19 - The Cinematheque - Vancouver, CAN
Sept 19 - Lark Theater - San Francisco, CA
Sept 19 - Kan-Kan Cinema - Indianapolis, IN
Sept 20 - Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City, OK

Oct 1 - Lightbox Film Center - Wynnewood, PA
Oct 24 - Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center - New Orleans, LA