and co-worker about his wish to return to driving and forms a plan to get all of them, Naoki, Kozue, Akihiko and himself away from their troubles. He buys an old bus which they convert for living accommodation and they all set off on an extended tour of the island. Kozue becomes more relaxed as they travel around but Naoki appears more disturbed. It eventually becomes clear that it is Naoki who is the murderer. Makoto confronts him and persuades him to give himself up. The remaining three carry on with the journey until Makoto finally loses his temper with Akihiko's cynical and shallow outlook and throws him off the bus. Makoto and Kozue continue on their journey until, finally, when they reach the peak of the highest mountain in Kyushu, both realise they are able to face ordinary life again. As they reach this understanding the film turns to colour. Cast Production For Eureka, writer and director Shinji Aoyama got inspiration from the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. According to The Guardian, his research "also took in accounts of Holocaust survivors and studies of Israeli terrorists, as well as his own experiences of growing up in a society of widening generation gaps." Aoyama stated that he was influenced by Alain Resnais's film Hiroshima mon amour, John Ford's film The Searchers, Sonic Youth's album Daydream Nation, and Jim O'Rourke's album Eureka. The film was shot in black-and-white and printed in color. Filming took place in Kyushu. The last scene was shot near the volcano Mount Aso. Release The film had its world premiere in the Competition section at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival on 18 May 2000. It was released in Japan on 20 January 2001. It was released in the United States on 4 May 2001. Reception Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 42 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With its subtitles and a running time nearing four hours, Eureka certainly places demands upon its viewers. For those with the patience, however, this visually lovely film builds to an emotionally resonant vision of transcendence." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Jamie Russell of BBC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "Shinji