Poppoya (1999)

Poppoya: Directed by Yasuo Furuhata. With Ken Takakura, Shinobu Ôtake, Ryôko Hirosue, Hidetaka Yoshioka. The touching reminiscing of an elderly railroad-station manager is interrupted by the sudden appearance of some good-natured girls.

“A particularly Japanese take on duty and responsibility, Ken Takakura is a trainman at a rural train station. Sad, poignant, but ultimately redeeming of the choices he has had to make in order to fulfill his chosen occupation, if you are looking for action of any sort go elsewhere. This is a character drama and an excellent one. If all you know of Takekura is u0026#39;Mr. Baseballu0026#39; and u0026#39;Black Rainu0026#39; then you ought to see him in a role which allows him to demonstrate his strengths as an actor, delivering an amazing performance with very little overt emoting.”