| Shiki-Jitsu | |
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| Directed by | Hideaki Anno |
| Written by | Hideaki Anno |
| Based on | Tōhimu byAyako Fujitani |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Yuichi Nagata |
| Edited by | Soichi Ueno |
| Music by | Takashi Kako |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Tokuma Shoten |
Release date |
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Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Japanese.Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Shiki-Jitsu (式日,Shikijitsu;lit. "ritual day" or "ceremonial day"), also known asRitual, is a 2000 Japanesepsychological drama film written and directed byHideaki Anno. It is based on the novellaTōhimu byAyako Fujitani, who also stars alongsideShunji Iwai.[1]
Like Anno's previous filmLove & Pop (1998), it is anart film withexperimental elements diving into the minds of its main characters.Shiki-Jitsu takes place over 33 days and follows the relation between an apathetic film director (Iwai) and an odd young woman (Fujitani) who start a bizarre friendship after a chance meeting and they try to work their way out of a collective emotional funk. Michael Ordona of theLos Angeles Times reported the film had "dark themes of mental illness and suicidal ideation".[2]Shiki-Jitsu won an award for Best Artistic Contribution at the 13th International Film Festival in Tokyo.[3]
The film follows a young Director returning to his home city ofUbe inYamaguchi Prefecture, and an eccentric young Woman he meets, whose quirks include saying "tomorrow is my birthday" every day and wearing very unusual clothing.
But as the days go by, it appears that the Woman has little touch with reality and is constantly escaping into a fantasy world, while the Director himself is a formeranime director who is seeking to do a "real film" and embrace reality. The two eventually fall in love.
In the end, the Director confronts the Woman with her mother, allowing the Woman to make the first steps into the real world. The films ends with the Girl circling December 7 as her real birthday and the words "beyond the 33rd day: unknown".
The film was produced byStudio Kajino, an offshoot ofStudio Ghibli, run by its former presidentToshio Suzuki who served on the film as executive producer. It was given a première at the Tokyo Photography Museum in Ebisu Garden Place on December 7, 2000.
The movie was later released on VHS and DVD byBuena Vista Home Entertainment Japan on July 24, 2003 as part of the "Ghibli Cinematic Library" series.[4] On July 1, 2020, the movie was released toVideo on demand byKing Records.
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