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Earthquake Bird 2019

In Tokyo's vibrant and shadowy streets, expatriate Lucy grapples with a difficult past while involved in a passionate relationship with photographer Teiji. The disappearance of a young acquaintance, Lily, throws Lucy's carefully constructed world into disarray. As suspicion arises, Lucy’s guarded exterior begins to crack, forcing her to confront the buried secrets and traumas she has long concealed.

In Tokyo's vibrant and shadowy streets, expatriate Lucy grapples with a difficult past while involved in a passionate relationship with photographer Teiji. The disappearance of a young acquaintance, Lily, throws Lucy's carefully constructed world into disarray. As suspicion arises, Lucy’s guarded exterior begins to crack, forcing her to confront the buried secrets and traumas she has long concealed.

Does Earthquake Bird have end credit scenes?

No!

Earthquake Bird does not have end credit scenes. You can leave when the credits roll.

Meet the Full Cast and Actors of Earthquake Bird

Explore the complete cast of Earthquake Bird, including both lead and supporting actors. Learn who plays each character, discover their past roles and achievements, and find out what makes this ensemble cast stand out in the world of film and television.


Ratings and Reviews for Earthquake Bird

See how Earthquake Bird is rated across major platforms like IMDb, Metacritic, and TMDb. Compare audience scores and critic reviews to understand where Earthquake Bird stands among top-rated movies in its genre.


Echo Score

The Movie Echo Score

60

Earthquake Bird offers strong elicitation of its leads’ performances and its visual texture, but a fragmented narrative and uneven pacing undermine cohesion. Reviewers commend Alicia Vikander’s portrayal and the film’s atmospheric production design while noting that the plot often loses focus and momentum. The thriller framework alternates between cryptic intrigue and morose detours, resulting in limited emotional investment. Ultimately, Earthquake Bird registers as an evocative yet inconsistent psychosexual mystery that rarely sustains its own promise.

The Movie Echo Score Breakdown for Earthquake Bird

70
Echo Score

Art & Craft

Art & Craft derives considerable strength from Chung Hoon Chung’s photography and the film’s period-specific production design. In terms of cinematography, the somber color palette and deliberate framing reinforce the narrative’s psychological tension. Direction, however, sometimes struggles to unify these visual elements into a coherent whole. Overall, the film’s art direction provides a striking but uneven aesthetic.

65
Echo Score

Character & Emotion

When it comes to character and emotion, Alicia Vikander anchors the drama with restrained intensity while Riley Keough contributes a poised counterpoint. Acting performances are uniformly professional, providing moments of genuine tension and chemistry. However, emotional depth occasionally falters amid inconclusive motivations and underexplored backstories. The ensemble’s skillful delivery partly compensates for the narrative’s reluctance to fully develop its principal relationships.

50
Echo Score

Story & Flow

In terms of story and flow, the film unfolds as a cryptic whodunit that alternates between compelling mystery and languid digressions. Pacing is notably uneven, with extended atmospheric passages that impede narrative momentum. Plot coherence suffers from unresolved threads and shifting flashbacks, limiting clarity. Overall, the story offers intriguing motifs but often lacks sufficient propulsion and resolution.

75
Echo Score

Sensory Experience

When it comes to sensory experience, Atticus Ross’s score contributes a measured tension that underscores key emotional beats without overwhelming the visuals. Sound design captures the ambient hum of Tokyo’s streets, enhancing environmental immersion. Visual style utilizes muted tones and shadowed interiors to evoke a pervasive sense of dislocation. Although moments of suspense are subdued, the cumulative effect of these elements yields a consistently atmospheric mood.

50
Echo Score

Rewatch Factor

In terms of rewatch value, the film’s dense symbolism and atmospheric details may reward viewers who appreciate incremental discoveries. Select scenes—particularly those driven by visual subtext—invite further analysis on subsequent viewings. However, the narrative’s unresolved ambiguities and meandering pacing reduce its overall replay appeal. While intriguing elements persist, repeated viewings are likely to highlight structural weaknesses more than hidden depths.

Metacritic

51

Metascore

6.3

User Score

Rotten Tomatoes
review

48%

TOMATOMETER

review

54%

User Score

IMDb

6.0 /10

IMDb Rating

TMDB

59

%

User Score

Letterboxd

2.9

From 21 fan ratings

Movie Insider

2.33/5

From 6 fan ratings

Take the Ultimate Earthquake Bird Movie Quiz

Challenge your knowledge of Earthquake Bird with this fun and interactive movie quiz. Test yourself on key plot points, iconic characters, hidden details, and memorable moments to see how well you really know the film.


Earthquake Bird Quiz: Test your knowledge of the intricate relationships and plot twists in 'Earthquake Bird'.

What year is the film set in?

Full Plot Summary and Ending Explained for Earthquake Bird

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Read the complete plot summary of Earthquake Bird, including all major events, twists, and the full ending explained in detail. Explore key characters, themes, hidden meanings, and everything you need to understand the story from beginning to end.


Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1989 Tokyo, Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), a young expatriate, finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation following the mysterious disappearance of her friend, Lily Bridges (Riley Keough). The tension escalates from a complex love triangle involving Teiji Matsuda (Naoki Kobayashi), as Lucy’s world spirals into chaos.

Working diligently as a translator at Sasagawa, Lucy’s life takes a dark turn when Detective Oguchi (Ken Yamamura) arrives to question her after Lily’s lifeless body is unearthed mere days after her disappearance. Despite the unfathomable situation, Lucy maintains her composure, insisting she was the last person to see Lily before she vanished. She explains that she was attempting to return an item to Lily, but ultimately failed to catch up with her.

Having resided in Japan for over five years with no family nearby—her father being an electrician back home with seven brothers—Lucy feels isolated. As her past unfolds through flashbacks, we observe her initial encounter with Teiji, a photographer who, rather inviolably, captured her image without consent. Their connection deepened swiftly, blossoming into intimacy as they shared shelter during an earthquake.

Amidst taking violin lessons, Lucy’s world expands to include Lily, who she meets through a mutual friend, Bob Johnson (Jack Huston). Lucy, an introverted soul, contrasts sharply with the vibrant and outspoken Lily. Over time, Lucy introduces Lily to her world and her budding romance with Teiji, but the complexities of their relationships begin to intertwine dangerously.

Despite Lucy’s efforts, tensions rise as she attempts to persuade Teiji to sell his photographs, only to be met with cold indifference. Her jealousy and insecurities surface when she discovers Teiji had another muse, a woman named Sachi—a realization that deeply unsettles her.

As Lucy and Lily’s friendship blooms, they explore Tokyo together, spending nights at Lucy’s apartment. The dynamics shift during an art festival where Bob’s playful advances toward Lily reveal underlying desires, ultimately leading to a reckless encounter involving a trio that complicates their relationships even further. Lucy’s simmering anger boils when she discovers Teiji taking photographs of Lily, a betrayal that shakes her to the core.

In a pivotal moment, Lucy confesses to Oguchi that she murdered Lily, only for the investigation to reveal that the body found isn’t Lily’s at all. After being set free, she returns to find Teiji, who proposes they escape together—an offer she rejects. In a fit of rage, he turns violent, prompting Lucy to defend herself; she strikes him down with a glass vase in a desperate act of survival.

Through this haunting narrative, Lucy navigates love, jealousy, and the desperate grip of betrayal, culminating in a tragedy that revels in the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Uncover the Details: Timeline, Characters, Themes, and Beyond!

Watch Trailers, Clips & Behind-the-Scenes for Earthquake Bird

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Watch official trailers, exclusive clips, cast interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage from Earthquake Bird. Dive deeper into the making of the film, its standout moments, and key production insights.


Official Trailer

Cars Featured in Earthquake Bird

See 9 more

Explore all cars featured in Earthquake Bird, including their makes, models, scenes they appear in, and their significance to the plot. A must-read for car enthusiasts and movie buffs alike.


Honda

Lead 90

Honda

1987

Spacy 125

Honda

Super Cub

Nissan

1980

Caravan

Nissan

1995

Cedric

Nissan

1969

Skyline

Toyota

1978

Corona Mark II

Toyota

1993

Crown Sedan

Toyota

HiAce Commuter

Movie Themes and Keywords

Discover the central themes, ideas, and keywords that define the movie’s story, tone, and message. Analyze the film’s deeper meanings, genre influences, and recurring concepts.


male nudityfemale nuditypubic hairfemale frontal nudityfemale rear nudityfemale full frontal nuditymale full frontal nudityneo noiryear 1989tokyo japanpainful pasthandsome manphotographermissing womanfemale friendshipnaive womanfemale translatormental issuesfitting inamerican woman in japansexual confidencesexually confident womanlove interestpalm readingfortune tellingsuspicion of murderfemale protagonistfemale friendsmissing friendintense relationshipmysterious pastamerican nurselove trianglefemale murder suspectsuspected of murdering friendlong brown hairkisskissing while having sexjapanmale pubic hairexpatriatenaivetepsychological thrillermale frontal nudityfemale pubic hairbased on novelinterracial romance

Articles, Reviews & Explainers About Earthquake Bird

Stay updated on Earthquake Bird with in-depth articles, critical reviews, and ending explainers. Explore hidden meanings, major themes, and expert insights into the film’s story and impact.


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