X
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • Lorber Films
  • 1 h 25 m
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • Lorber Films
  • 1 h 25 m
Caterpillar

Summary During the Second Sino-Japanese War, a village woman is given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple-amputee husband, a decorated solider tortured by memories of his war crimes. Based on a short story by Edogawa Rampo, Koji Wakamatsu’s film is a fascinating, deeply affecting indictment of ri...

Directed By: Kôji Wakamatsu

Written By: Hisako Kurosawa, Masao Adachi, Rampo Edogawa

  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • Lorber Films
  • 1 h 25 m
  • 2011
  • Not Rated
  • Lorber Films
  • 1 h 25 m

Caterpillar

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
75
User Score Available after 4 ratings
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Summary During the Second Sino-Japanese War, a village woman is given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple-amputee husband, a decorated solider tortured by memories of his war crimes. Based on a short story by Edogawa Rampo, Koji Wakamatsu’s film is a fascinating, deeply affecting indictment of ri...

Directed By: Kôji Wakamatsu

Written By: Hisako Kurosawa, Masao Adachi, Rampo Edogawa

Where to Watch

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
75
71% Positive
5 Reviews
29% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 7 Critic Reviews
75
71% Positive
5 Reviews
29% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
May 6, 2011
If it plays in any theaters beyond New York and Los Angeles, that'll probably come as a surprise to its distributor (the estimable Lorber Films). None of that diminishes the power and intensity of this claustrophobic mini-masterpiece of the Japanese antiwar tradition, which blends a B-movie aesthetic, brilliant use of montage and documentary elements and a scathing critique of nationalism and militarism.
By Andrew O'Hehir FULL REVIEW
83
May 5, 2011
Before its spell unravels with overdone theatricality and on-the-nose flashbacks, Caterpillar succeeds as a kind of representational horror movie.
By Eric Kohn FULL REVIEW
75
May 6, 2011
The Japanese anti-war drama Caterpillar is difficult to watch. But it's directed, acted and photographed well, and it's worth seeing even if it makes you uncomfortable.
By V.A. Musetto FULL REVIEW
70
May 6, 2011
Shinobu Terajima, a major figure in Japan who won the best actress award at the 2010 Berlin film festival for Caterpillar, is effective as the wife, though Mr. Wakamatsu is more interested in scoring political and historical points than in shaping her character.
By Mike Hale FULL REVIEW
70
May 3, 2011
It's cinema that risks blunt silliness to achieve emotional and experiential seriousness.
FULL REVIEW
60
May 3, 2011
Based on a banned short story from the 1920s, Caterpillar might be read as a reaction to hawkish nationalism, but it's more a cry for the unknown soldier in the kitchen and bedroom.
By Joshua Rothkopf FULL REVIEW
50
May 11, 2011
Essentially a sexually charged two-hander with blunt allegorical implications, Kôji Wakamatsu's one-note follow-up to United Red Army is a disappointing affair, visually indifferent and thematically simplistic.
FULL REVIEW

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Details

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Production Company Skhole Co., Wakamatsu Production
Release Date May 6, 2011
Duration 1 h 25 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline Sex-with-wife-on-top
Website http://fr.lesoldatdieu.blogs.dissidenz.com/
View All Details

Awards

Berlin International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Kinema Junpo Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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