Garden Sandbox (2022): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2022, Garden Sandbox is a drama film directed by Yukinori Kurokawa, running about 69 minutes.

What it’s about. After some misunderstanding, Sakaguchi is hired to make a tourist guide video on Tobako (a fictitious name for Kawaguchi) in the outskirts of Tokyo. This element in the script sparks off a fanciful wandering strewn with unexpected meetings. First with Kitagawa, thanks to whom Sakaguchi landed the job. Then with a seamstress, and then with Yoshino, with whom a half-hearted romance emerges. Thus the narrative unfolds, in halts and swerves, espousing unexpected meetings, and offering the strolling character an opportunity for displacements from one place to the next. The deserted town has come to a standstill - the shooting took place during the lockdown - and this acts as a metaphor for the idleness of the characters. GARDEN SANDBOX is light and nimble, whereas its main character hasa limp. Her demeanour and her stiff body exude a peculiar quality, somewhat comically at odds with the setting.

Who’s in it. Garden Sandbox stars Marino Kawashima as Sakaguchi, Kazuki Niiya as Kitagawa and Yukino Murakami as Yoshino.

How it landed. With an audience score of 9.0/10, Garden Sandbox sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

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

If you liked it. Fans of Garden Sandbox tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.