Film

Signal Fool

1990 · 1h 6m

Isamu, a sixth-grade boy, lost his mother in a car accident at a young age. Ever since, he's been unable to forgive those who ignore traffic rules. Each day, he stands at the crosswalk with a yellow flag—his mother's keepsake—guiding his classmates and watching over the signals. Though adults dismiss him and his peers call him a "traffic light fool," Isamu remains committed. When his father announces plans to remarry, Isamu refuses the idea of a new mother. But upon learning that the woman too lost loved ones in a traffic accident, he begins to open up. Through this shared grief, Isamu gradually understands the importance of empathy and realizes that rules alone can't heal a broken heart.

Hideaki Machida

Isamu Yamanaka

Bunta Sugawara

Yuzo Yamanaka

Eiko Ito

Mie Sakata

Jitsuko Yoshimura

Auntie Midori

Takehiko Maeda

City Council Member

Yanagiya Kosan

Monk

Mai Watanabe

Yoko Mizuno

Yu Takahashi

Chairman

Kyosuke Asahina

Yoshio

Aoki Hisaya

Akira

Kei Suwa

Saburo

Midori Sugiyama

Matsubara-sensei

• Yoshiya SugataDirector · Screenplay · Producer
• Keisuke ShigetaDirector of Photography
• Makoto ShiotaniDirector of Photography
• Takako KuwabaraEditor

Release date

March 24, 1990

Status

Released

Original language

Japanese

Runtime

1h 6m