Tatsuya Hagishima	...	(Director)
Tatsuya Hagishima, Otsuichi	...	(Writer)
Riko Narumi	...	Ryo Aihara
Keisuke Koide	...	Shinya Nozaki
Mika Hada	...	School Doctor
Shinichirô Ishikawa	...	Yoshida
Kôichi Iwaki	...	Toda
Nana Katase	...	Ryo Harada
Yûko Kotegawa	...	Nobuko Aihara
Hideo Nakano	...	Tetsushi Aihara
Rikako Sakata	...	Miki Aihara
Nobuhiko Takada	...	Mr. Yamaguchi
Kaoru Yachigusa	...	Sachi Nozaki
Koichi Nakayama	...	Cinematographer
Hiroaki Morishita	...	Editor

Comments: I had seen a film I liked a while ago called How to Become Myself (Ashita no watashi no tsukurikata) [2007] • Japan that starred a young actress I felt showed a lot of promise, Riko Narumi so I thought I'd give this a try. OK, oops. She plays the same kind of character almost exactly. In this film she communicates with another lonely soul via mental cellphones. How to Become Myself succeeded because of wonderful and poetic direction. This film fails miserably from horrible direction and a pretty ridiculous story even though it all leads up to a melodramatic ending that might make some forget how droll the trip getting to it was.

Summary: Directed by Hagishima Tatsuya, Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai (a.k.a. Calling You) is based on the same-titled light novel series by popular writer Otsuichi. Like Otsuichi's Waiting in the Dark, which was also recently adapted for the big screen, Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai revolves around two lonely young people who find each other in an uncommon manner. The film's strengths lie in its haunting, empathetic story and genuinely affecting performances from young leads Narumi Riko and Koide Keisuke. At only 15 years old, Narumi Riko has established herself as one of Japan's best young actresses, already with seven years of acting experience under her belt and a maturity that belies her age. The beautiful actress has found both popularity and acclaim with her many television outings, as well as subtle performances in films like Shindo and How to Become Myself. Koide is also a familiar face to audiences, having appeared in many popular youth films and dramas like Pacchigi!, Linda Linda Linda, and Nodame Cantabile, and he takes on his first leading film role in Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai.

Shy, quiet, and unsure of herself, Aihara Ryo (Narumi Riko) doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Though she wants to make friends, she has trouble speaking up and holding a normal conversation like everyone else. It seems that whenever she talks, the words just don't come out correctly. Gradually, Ryo has gotten used to living life in silence as a lonely and introverted student. With no one to talk to, Ryo also has no need for a cell phone. Longing for friends to talk to, she creates a cell phone in her mind for imaginary phone conversations, and much to her surprise, one day Shinya (Koide Keisuke) picks up on the other side. For the first time in her life, Ryo has found someone she can talk to.