The Cats of Mirikitani

Name: The Cats of Mirikitani
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2006-04-26
Rating: 7.6

Documentary1h 14m

🍅96%

🍅

96%

Tomatometer

🍿

94%

Popcornmeter

7.6

TMDB

Storyline

Documentary about red-bereted Jimmy Mirikitani, a feisty painter working and living on the street, near the World Trade Center, when 9/11 devastates the neighborhood. A nearby film editor, Linda Hattendorf, persuades elderly Jimmy to move in with her, while seeking a permanent home for him. The young woman delves into the California-born, Japan-raised artist's unique life which developed his resilient personality, and fuel his 2 main subjects, cats and internment camps. The editor films Jimmy's remarkable journey.

Trailers

The Cats of Mirikitani trailer thumbnail

Details

DirectorLinda Hattendorf

ReleasedApr 26, 2006

StatusReleased

Original languageEnglish

Budget

Not disclosed

Revenue

Not disclosed

Parental guideNot rated

Studio

Lucid Dreaming

Reviews

8 reviews · 7 critics

7 fresh · 0 rotten

Critics consensus

“The Cats of Mirikitani is a look at an elderly street artist that turns into a sincere and deeply moving account of human compassion and healing.”

96% TomatometerRotten Tomatoes

Janice Page

RTBoston GlobeAug 24, 2007

It should not have taken luck and a charitable filmmaker to save Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani.

Richard Nilsen

RTArizona RepublicApr 27, 2007

By paying him attention and making this portrait, [director Hattendorf] makes us see Jimmy Mirikitani as a three-dimensional person and not a stereotype of homelessness. You leave the film glad to have met him.

Adam Nayman

RTeye WEEKLYApr 23, 2007

Her efforts, presented without even the faintest whiff of self-congratulation, yield revelation and real success, and keep The Cats of Mirikitani moving along a compelling and unpredictable trajectory.

Dorothy Woodend

RTThe Tyee (British Columbia)Aug 23, 2017

. . . the twists and turns of his life story become more apparent and the full scope of his tragedy takes shape. But life has a curious habit of unpredictability, those who appear lost forever are finally found, and occasionally you can go home again.