Only Yesterday

Sunday, June 25 - Thursday, July 6, 2023

Realizing that she is at a crossroads in her life, bored twenty-something Taeko heads for the countryside. The trip dredges up forgotten childhood memories which unfold in flashback to younger years: the first immature stirrings of romance, the onset of puberty, and the frustrations of math and boys. In lyrical switches between the present and the past, Taeko wonders if she has been true to the dreams of her childhood self.

Directed by Isao Takahata and produced by Hayao Miyazaki, ONLY YESTERDAY is a double period piece that beautifully evokes both the 1960s and 1980s, and the quintessential drama of Japanese school-day nostalgia. Studio Ghibli is known for its female heroines, from Princesses Nausicaa and Mononoke, to Kiki, to Ponyo – but with ONLY YESTERDAY they delve deeper into the real emotional experiences of girls/women than perhaps any animated film before or since.

Screening as part of our series A Studio Ghibli Summer !

Previously screened as part of our series The Films of Studio Ghibli.

All screenings 5:00 p.m. and later will be presented in Japanese with English subtitles. Morning and afternoon screenings will be presented in English.

• Country Japan
• Year 1991
• Running Time 118 minutes
• Distributor GKIDS
• Director Isao Takahata
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.