Netflix is a company that defines itself by decisions that increasingly strain credulity; whether they’re canceling Inside Job while Big Mouth and Emily in Paris are right there, or attempting to raise profits by gouging the act of password-sharing rather than investing more time into upping the quality of their product, the Netflix hivemind works in mysterious ways.
And that’s especially true when it comes to their original films; outside of The Gray Man and Glass Onion, it seems that only a fraction of Netflix’s marketing budget is reserved for its new features; David Harbour’s family comedy horror We Have a Ghost has gotten little attention despite releasing today (although, with those Rotten Tomatoes scores, perhaps it’s for the best), and Luther: The Fallen Sun seems to be catching only a bit more of the spotlight as it begins a limited theatrical release today.
So, if Netflix won’t give their own movies the marketing they deserve, you can always count on the fans to step up, and that’s exactly what they’ve done for Call Me Chihiro, a brand new Japanese drama film based on the similarly titled manga Chihiro-san.
Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, Call Me Chihiro stars Kasumi Arimura (Erased) as Chihiro, a kind-hearted former sex worker who works at a bento stand, hoping to brighten the day of any customer she happens to serve with her infectious spirit.
It doesn’t have much to offer in the way of action, but it looks to be a quiet-yet-powerful exploration on loneliness, which certainly sounds like a welcome change of pace from Netflix’s rather zany library.
And the best part? Call Me Chihiro is a film that went straight to live-action without making the anime pitstop that the manga-to-screen pipeline almost universally indulges in, so we don’t even have to worry about the live-action anime curse following this one.
So, for those of you looking for a possible hidden gem, Call Me Chihiro is now available to stream on Netflix.