[Orphan] Yukiguni no Oujisama (1080p)

Orphan presents the first English-subtitled version of the 1985 movie Yukiguni no Oujisama (The Snow Country Prince). This is a fairy tale about a timid boy named Goichi, who lives in an impoverished fishing village in Hokkaido. Every winter, Siberian swans migrate to the village’s inlet. Goichi and his sister Yuki start caring for an orphaned juvenile swan that they name Hanaguro. Encouraged by the possibly imaginary, possibly real Prince of the Snow Country, Goichi struggles to save Hanaguro from harsh winter conditions, thereby discovering his courage and sense of self-worth. For more information, see this blog entry.


The movie is serious, family friendly, and uplifting; in short, a hard slog for a cynical curmudgeon like me. YMMV.