Jujuba (2018): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2018, Jujuba is a notable film directed by Shun Ikezoe, running about 8 minutes.

What it’s about. The tired man standing on the platform is 27-year-old Ayumu Ueno. Facing an unwelcome trip to his childhood home, he goes to light a cigarette. What he finds in his pocket, however, is a jujuba fruit. The shiny red skin brings back vague memories of his second mother, Rèn Shìróng. Born in the Sichuan province of China, jujuba fruits were her favorite snack. At the time, he didn’t want to call her “Mom,” so at his father’s suggestion, she became “Sis.” As he thinks back on Sis, past and present meet, drawing us into a world neither dream nor reality. –"People can never really understand each other. Thinking back, I feel this way because of my former mother-in-law. That time, when Kansai dialect and Sichuan Chinese flew back and forth around me and I called my mother Sis, is recreated on expired 8 millimeter film. The expiration date of the film used is the same year that she walked out on us."

Who’s in it. Jujuba stars Shinya Ueno and Geizen Shu.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.1/10, Jujuba 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 Jujuba page.