'I found myself with a heart I was not supposed to have.'- Nozomi, the inflatable doll

The subject of a MIFF spotlight in 2007, filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Still Walking, MIFF 09; Nobody Knows) returns with a Pinocchio-inspired fable about a life-sized sex doll (captivatingly embodied by South Korean star Bae Du-na) that develops a soul and - with childlike curiosity - investigates the neighbourhood.

When she falls in love with a video store clerk, the film reveals itself as a lyrical fairytale, her sweetheart acting as the mirror from which she reflects. Everything seems perfect, but that bubble is primed to burst.

“An achingly beautiful meditation on loneliness and longing in the city, and a reflective look on a consumerist culture that encourages easy substitutes and disposability, even of humans and feelings.” - Hollywood Reporter