July 20 to August 9, 2023
FILM FESTIVAL
Fantasia 2023
Fantasia Film Festival
PROGRAMME
Cheval Noir
Two sleep-deprived high school students connect with each other in their school’s observatory in Insomniacs After School. Ganta Nakami (Daiken Okudaira) suffers from nightly insomnia, which causes him to take naps while attending school. When asked to acquire a stepladder from his school’s observatory-turned-storage room, Nakami finds his classmate Isaki Magari (Nana Mori), who also suffers from sleeplessness. Together they decide to make the observatory their private getaway, until they are caught by their teacher Usako Kurashiki (Yuki Sakurai). Ms. Kurashiki will continue to allow Nakami and Magari to use the observatory if they restore the school’s astronomy club.
Insomniacs After School Synopsis
Insomniacs After School is a Japanese high-school drama co-written and directed by Chihiro Ikeda, based on the acclaimed manga by Makoto Ojiro. Both of the protagonists Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari have their own reasons for their insomnia, but end up finding a connection through this common affliction. With the help of astronomy club alumnus Yuri Shiramaru (Minori Hagiwara), Nakami and Magari hope to learn to resurrect the club to allow the new friends to continue using their observatory hideaway.
My Thoughts on Insomniacs After School
Insomniacs After School features a major revelation about one of the protagonists, which sets the film up to be a bit of a tearjerker. Thankfully, the film opts to go in a heartwarming, rather than heartbreaking direction, as both Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari become better people through their time together. Even still, this is a film that is probably not going to leave many dry eyes when the credit roll.
Trailer for Insomniacs After School – Fantasia 2023
