← Back

The Box Man

Original title: Hako otoko

“Adaptation of 1973 eponymous novel by Kōbō Abe.”

2024 · 2 h 1 min
Directed by Gakuryu Ishii · Japan · Contemporary Asian Cinema
Drama

Where to watch in the United States: Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel · Free: Hoopla, Fawesome, Xumo Play · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home. Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDB; availability changes.

Cast

Masatoshi Nagase Tadanobu Asano Kôichi Satô Ayana Shiramoto Yûko Nakamura Kiyohiko Shibukawa

Credits

Written by: Kôbô Abe Kiyotaka Inagaki
Cinematography: Hideho Urata
Produced by: Keisuke Konishi Tomohiko Seki

Plot

A photographer becomes intrigued by a mysterious man who has chosen to filter his experience of the world through a cardboard box placed over his head.

Sinekatalog’s take

A photographer becomes intrigued by a man who filters the world through a cardboard box over his head. The fable-like premise explores anonymity and observation. For viewers who enjoy strange, art-house parables.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

View on Letterboxd ↗

Ratings

IMDb: 5.4 / 10 (266 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

If you liked this

Picked by director, genre, era and shared cast. Titles only, no spoilers.