TIFF 2025: A Pale View of Hills Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the principal contemporary Japanese writers, winning a Nobel Prize in literature for his work. Despite his immense contribution to writing, his actual body of work is short, though many have been adapted into films such as his 1993’s The Remains of the Day and 2010’s Never Let Me Go. Ishiguro’s first work, A Pale View of the Hills, is finally getting the film treatment thanks to writer-director Kei Ishikawa. The story takes place over two timelines: a Nagasaki post-atomic bomb in the 1950s and early 1980s in England. The starting point involves Niki (Aiko), a young dropout writer visiting her mother Etsuko (Hirose/Yoshida). Faced with a bevy of unresolved issues and the imminent sale of her childhood home, Niki asks her mother to tell her about her early days. She is interested in writing about her family’s history, as their migration to the United Kingdom plays a quintessential role in the story. From there, the story would see mother and daughter connect over memories of the past as they reflect on the future; moving houses, Niki’s career, and her probable pregnancy.

A Pale View of Hills is predominantly a story about the past. Niki wants to understand her origins to determine how to move forward next. Ishiguro’s original writing serves as the base for Ishikawa’s adaptation, focusing on the relationship between individuals from a traumatized Nagasaki. The 1945 atomic attacks opened wounds that haunt each character. Etsuko continues to suffer a profound trauma from the day she worked in a primary school, and witnessed the death of countless children. Meanwhile, the fear of the discharge’s contamination raises further questions from those who still reside in the affected area, those who questioned whether to stay or leave. Within this conundrum, the film reveals itself as a clever drama about consequences.

Here, the director constantly shifts between the 1950s and 1980s, finding its drama across past events that influence Niki and Etsuko’s relationship. In addition, the absence of the mother’s other daughter could also be felt throughout the film, even if it does not feature the mysterious element it attempts to introduce. Ishikawa looks to manufacture a major reveal, yet it is understated throughout the second act. That being said, the film’s development of its 1950s timeline is certainly where it is at its most fascinating, featuring production design that captures the atmosphere of a rebuilding Nagasaki. Similarly, its costume design does a fine job at echoing the personalities of the characters.

In the end, A Pale View of Hills is a cinematic adaptation whose attempt to remain faithful to the source material results in a bloated screenplay. Yet, Kei Ishikawa’s take on Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel delivers an engaging story about absence, loss, and love.

still courtesy of TIFF

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Pedro Lima

Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.