A factory explosion plunges a small town into a timeless freeze, leaving teenage Masamune and his pals to grapple with a quickly collapsing reality.
Writing
Mari Okada's signature: teenagers who feel too much
Score
Ryuichi Sakamoto's final film composition, haunting and sparse
Director
Mari Okada
Junya Enoki
Masamune Kikuiri (voice)
Reina Ueda
Atsumi Sagami (voice)
Misaki Kuno
Itsumi (voice)
Koji Seto
Akimune Kikuiri (voice)
Kento Hayashi
Tokimune Kikuiri (voice)
Taku Yashiro
Daisuke Sasakura (voice)
Tasuku Hatanaka
Atsushi Nitta (voice)
Daiki Kobayashi
Yasunari Semba (voice)
Ayaka Saito
Yūko Sonobe (voice)
Maki Kawase
Hina Hara (voice)
Yukiyo Fujii
Reina Yasumi (voice)
Setsuji Sato
Mamoru Sagami (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ryuichi Sakamoto composed the score while undergoing cancer treatment; some themes were recorded in his final months.
The 'maboroshi' title references Japanese folklore of phantom ships—ghostly vessels that appear to doomed sailors, much like Atsumi appears to a town already dead inside.
JP
