A Pale View of Hills

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By Tobias Zajac

September 5 2025


I read Kazou Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day when I was about sixteen. I remember being enthralled by his talent of capturing the mundanity of butlerhood while simultaneously keeping me on the edge of my seat. While I have not read his first novel, A Pale View of Hills, I can say that Kei Ishikawa’s 2025 film adaptation certainly has that same lure.

The film follows Etsuko as the narrative jumps back and forth between her time in post-war Nagasaki and 1980s England. The story is set up by present Etsuko (Yō Yoshida) as she recalls her life to her daughter (Camilla Aiko). Young Etsuko (Suzu Hirose) struggles with her marriage to her husband (Kouhei Matsushita) while befriending Sachiko (Fumi Nikaido) and her eccentric daughter. The film deals with themes of motherhood, grief, and post-war trauma.

To start, this film is absolutely gorgeous. Piotr Niemyjski’s cinematography is nothing short of breathtaking. From a woman looking out a window to an omelet in a pan, there are so many shots of scenes that don’t feel like they need much attention but they still do. There is a dreamlike quality in the images that I haven’t seen in a film in quite a bit and it is refreshing. The performances were pretty well done too. The only one who had a bit of a weak performance was Aiko, but I think it was just a matter of being outshined by the rest of the cast.

This is quite the slow film, using its 123 minute runtime to really flesh out dialogue and hold for characters. Personally, I quite enjoy the change of pace compared to how many modern films feel the need to cut every three seconds. But, I can understand why someone may not be a fan of this film's need to linger.

There are some slight odd editing choices that make the beginning of some scenes feel rough. Just very sudden cuts that feel jarring with the way this film tends to float through scenes. The sound mixing also wasn’t the best, with the music being quite loud during some of the dialogue. Without getting into spoilers, a big issue I have with this film is the many reveals that happen and how they are executed. I think this film does have good twists and turns that keep the viewer engaged combined with its slow-moving pace. However, the way these plot points are revealed fall flat. From a laughable delivery of dialogue that felt corny to the main reveal being rushed and awkward, it just could not land these major moments. There was also a father-in-law character, who was played by Tomokazu Miura, that could have been cut out of the film completely and really would not have made much of a difference. I don’t think a lot of people would enjoy this one, due to the slow pace and dark subject matter. However, I did have a very good time with this one and it likely will be even better on a second watch.


6/10