SimilarScreen
The World of Kanako

The World of Kanako

Say goodbye to reason.

20146.51h 58m

Overview

When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.

Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima
Written by Tetsuya Nakashima, Miako Tadano, Nobuhiro Monma
Produced by Satomi Odake, Yutaka Suzuki
Box Office0Revenue: $6.5M

Top Cast

Koji Yakusho

Koji Yakusho

Akikazu Fujishima

Nana Komatsu

Nana Komatsu

Kanako Fujishima

Hiroya Shimizu

Hiroya Shimizu

I / Narrator

Satoshi Tsumabuki

Satoshi Tsumabuki

Detective Asai

Joe Odagiri

Joe Odagiri

Detective Aikawa

Asuka Kurosawa

Asuka Kurosawa

Kiriko Fujishima

Jun Kunimura

Jun Kunimura

Dr. Tsujimura

Munetaka Aoki

Munetaka Aoki

Sakiyama

Megumi Hatachiya

Megumi Hatachiya

Detective Aikawa's Wife

Ai Hashimoto

Ai Hashimoto

Morishita

Themes & Keywords

japandrug abuseobsessionyakuzabullyingdysfunctional familyalcoholismex-coppolice corruptionpsychological thrillersecret lifeex-husband ex-wife relationshipdark secretmissing daughterfather daughter relationshiprelationshipsformer detective

About The World of Kanako

The World of Kanako is a mystery, crime, thriller film released in 2014 exploring themes of japan, drug abuse, obsession, yakuza, bullying, dysfunctional family. Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, it stars Koji Yakusho, Nana Komatsu, Hiroya Shimizu. When Kanako, a model daughter and a brilliant student, disappears, her mother asks her ex-husband, a violent former policeman, to find her. As his investigation progresses, his idealized image of Kanako cracks: the girl hides a dark life that her father can not even imagine.

Movies Similar to The World of Kanako

Discover titles like The World of Kanako — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to The World of Kanako

If you enjoyed The World of Kanako, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of The World of Kanako.

Identity
21% Match

Identity(2003)

Movie7.2/10

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.

The Crimes That Bind
21% Match

Michiko Oshitani, who lived in Shiga Prefecture, is found dead at an apartment in Tokyo. She was strangled to death. Mutsuo Koshikawa is the owner of the apartment and he goes missing. Detectives including Yuhei Matsumiya who is a cousin of Detective Kyoichiro Kaga , have difficulties in solving the case. They can't find a connection between Michiko Oshitani and Mutsuo Koshikawa. They soon learn that Michiko Oshitani came to Tokyo to visit Hiromi Asai . They graduated from the same school, but there isn't a connection between Hiromi Asai and Mutsuo Koshikawa. Detective Yuhei Matsumiya finds something near Michiko Oshitani's body. That something has the names of 12 bridges surrounding the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Detective Kyoichiro Kaga learns of the clue and becomes agitated. There's a connection with his late mother

8MM
20% Match

8MM(1999)

Movie6.5/10

A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.

Monster
19% Match

Monster(2023)

Movie7.9/10

After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.

Memento
19% Match

Memento(2000)

Movie8.2/10

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Vertigo
19% Match

Vertigo(1958)

Movie8.1/10

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Kiss the Girls
18% Match

Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.

Cure
18% Match

Cure(1997)

Movie7.5/10

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances is sweeping Tokyo.

Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser
18% Match

A new member from the Black Organization that shrunk Shinichi's body manages to find out about Shinichi's transformation into Conan. This discovery starts to put those around him in danger as Gin and the other Black Organization members start to take action.

Blue Velvet
17% Match

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

Shoplifters
17% Match

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.

Raising Cain
16% Match

Child psychologist Carter Nix is a loving and caring family man, but under this appearance lies a dark and troubled past. Grappling with the consequences of this past on his own psyche and the influence of his returning father and violent brother Cain, Carter becomes involved in a series of murders and kidnappings. Meanwhile, his wife Jenny rekindles an old love affair, placing herself in the crosshairs of her increasingly unstable husband.

Seventh Code
16% Match

Akiko, a young woman, comes to Vladivostok to meet Matsunaga, a young businessman she has met in Tokyo only once. Akiko finally finds Matsunaga. However, he leaves her again, warning her not to trust strangers in a foreign country. She tries to follow him, but she is attacked by thugs and dumped on the outskirts of town.

Blood Work
15% Match

Blood Work(2002)

Movie6.2/10

Still recovering from a heart transplant, a retired FBI profiler returns to service when his own blood analysis offers clues to the identity of a serial killer.