Japan Synopsis
化石
An industrialist is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is on a trip to Europe at the time, and a glimpse of a Japanese woman in that setting causes him to fantasize about her as the personification of his impending death. As his dialogue with his imagined mortality continues, he actually meets the living woman who is the template for his fantasy, and together they tour rural churches. Gradually he comes to some kind of peace about the diagnosis. When he returns to Japan, he is met with a series of challenges which profoundly test the lessons he has learned.
The 1974–1976 Japan Window
The Fossil holds position #36 of 65 Japan films in the 1974–1976 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1970s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1970s in Japan, 197 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Fossil premiered alongside 21 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 21 other Japan films in 1975.
The 451st Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
10 audience reviews — more than 6% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 7th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,232 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (29th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -0.4 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #1,419 of 1,933 (top 73%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Haiyu-za Film Production Company Ltd., Horo-Kai, Yonki-no-Kai Productions |
| Runtime | 3h 20m |
| Release Date | October 4, 1975 |
| IMDb | tt0135496 |