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Ping Pong (2002)
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This directorial debut from Fumihiko Sori (known here simply as Sori) is a stylish hybrid of the high-school buddy movie and the sporting underdog melodrama. Based on a manga comic, this tale of two boys whose friendship is tested by their participation in a table-tennis tournament gets inside the competitive mind while considering the mechanics of friendship and the transience of glory. The loyalty that the taciturn, ironically named Smile (Arata) shows the grandstanding Peco (Yosuke Kubozuka) is genuinely touching, yet Sori is just as intrigued by the fierce rivalry between the duo and some posh, shaven-headed poseurs. The matches are filmed with grace and panache, with the inspired slo-mo passages enabling us to read the emotions of the players at key points in both the contests and their lives. DP
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| Contains violence. |
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Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.
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Running time
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113min
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Country of origin
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Jpn
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Genre
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Sports Comedy Drama
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Original language
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Japanese
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Screenplay
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Kankuro Kudo, from the comic book by Taiyou Matsumoto
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Theatrical distributor
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ICA Projects
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UK cinema certificate
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12A
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UK cinema release date
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July 2004
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Subtitling information
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In Japanese with subtitles
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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