Blue Lake Girl (1986): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1986, Blue Lake Girl is a fantasy, drama, horror and mystery film directed by Akio Jissoji, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. Nagare, a painter who wanted to commit a lover’s suicide with Mizue, the wife of his friend and patron Takigawa. Growing afraid at the last moment, he doesn’t go through with it – but Mizue sinks to the bottom of Blue Lake. Some time later, Nagare follows an invitation by Takigawa, who claims to have forgiven everything. To Nagare’s shock, Takigawa’s new wife, Ameko, looks exactly like Mizue. While staying as Takigawa’s guest, Nagare becomes haunted by Mizue’s ghost, who wants to be reunited with him at the bottom of Blue Lake.

Who’s in it. Blue Lake Girl stars Yōko Yamamoto as Ameko Takigawa / Mizue Takigawa, Jin Nakayama as Kanji Takigawa, Masami Horiuchi as Okita and Chisako Hara as Fusae Sawa, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Blue Lake Girl has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Blue Lake Girl page.

If you liked it. Fans of Blue Lake Girl tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.