Private Project

Cucumber

Shintaro receives a homegrown cucumber from the older lady next door and his crippling anxiety convinces him that he has to reciprocate the gesture.

About the film:
After surviving the terrorist attack on the island Utøya in Norway in 2011 the director, Harald, struggled for years with the consequences. Anxiety, depression and isolation meant that he often closed himself off from the world. As an adult, these experiences and the themes have never lost their importance to him. During the Covid pandemic, Harald started researching the Japanese term Hikikomori - a state of life he recognizes. In recent years the term has spread to research papers here in Europe as well. But it was during this period that he stumbled upon Japanese Vosot Ikeidas real life account of suddenly receiving a cucumber in an article series which this short film is inspired by.

Cucumber is a dark comedy made by a Norwegian and Japanese team as a cultural hybrid. It's inspired by a true story of a Hikikomori about wild anxiety-driven overthinking, about discovering the beauty of nature and how a cucumber can turn your life upside down.

  • Harald Furuholmen
    Director
  • Louise Beyer
    Producer
    Superdupermegagigasingle (2022) Won Norwegian national award Amanda for Best Short Film 2023
  • Mina Moteki
    Producer
    December (2022)
  • Jonas Bruun
    Producer
  • Jan I. B. Stakvik
    Co-producer
  • Naoyuki Miyahara
    Key Cast
    "Shintaro"
  • Kaori Takeshita
    Key Cast
    "Cucumber lady"
  • Petter Moen Jensen
    Director of Photography
    December (2022)
  • Madeline Kinney
    Production Designer
  • Odin Norum Kvistad
    Editor
    Let the River Flow (2023)
  • Magnus Bechmann Hansen
    Composer
  • Shuji Otake
    Sound recordist
  • Emma Linnea Larsen
    Sound design
  • Joachim Møller Nilsen
    Colorist
  • Vinod Vijayasankaran
    1st assistant camera
  • August Hasselquist
    Production design assistant
  • Vidar Hemmingsen
    Re-recording mixer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Agurk
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 47 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 12, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    27,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Norway
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Amira Prores 4444
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • The Norwegian Short Film Festival
    Grimstad
    Norway
    June 13, 2024
    World/National premiere
    Honorable Mention for the Golden Chair for Best Norwegian Short Film
  • The Norwegian Short Film Festival
    Grimstad
    Norway
    June 13, 2024
    World/national premiere
    The Norwegian Film Workers Association’s Technical Award for Production Designer
  • PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival)
    Tallinn
    Estonia
    November 8, 2024
    Baltic Premiere
    The International Live Action Competition of 2024
  • International Short Film Festival Winterthur
    Winterthur
    Switzerland
    November 5, 2024
    International Premiere
    Hot Shorts
  • Izmir International Short Film Festival
    Izmir
    Turkey
    November 10, 2024
    Turkish premiere
    Panorama
  • Minimalen
    Trondheim
    Norway
    January 23, 2025
  • Vilnius International Film Festival - Kino Pavaris
    Vilnius
    Lithuania
    March 7, 2025
    Lithuanian premiere
    Short film competition
  • International Short Film Week Regensburg
    Regensburg
    Germany
  • Sunderland Shorts
    Sunderland
    United Kingdom
  • Florida Film Festival
  • Damah International Film Festival
  • RiverRun International Film Festival
Director Biography - Harald Furuholmen

Harald Furuholmen was born in 1995 in Bærum, Norway. He started his film career as an actor and art director in the award-winning feature film “Everywhen” in 2011 when he was only 17 years old.
Studying at the European Film College in Denmark and sharpening his skills at The German Film and Television Academy Berlin, he graduated in film directing in 2021.

Harald is a multidisciplinary artist working with writing, directing, art direction, acting and music; creating the score for all of his films.

He has directed four music videos and an array of short films in German, Danish, Norwegian, English and now in Japanese. With deep inspirations from Anime and Asian cinema, but based on a Nordic cinematic vision, Harald creates a blend of international film language that connects drama and comedy, East and West. He is currently shooting a short docu-series on female MMA, making his next short and writing his first feature film.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

After surviving the terrorist attack on the island Utøya in Norway in 2011, I struggled for years with the consequences. Anxiety, depression and isolation meant that I often closed myself off from the world. Into my room with anime, blankets and security. Sure everyone around me hated me or thought I was a loser.

As an adult, these experiences and the themes have never lost their importance. Because when I needed it the most, it was film that gave me hope that made me able to move on.

I am self-taught in oral Japanese, and have been doing research on the Japanese term Hikikomori for about three years. A state of life and a group of people I recognize, and an interest that began during the Covid pandemic. And it was during this period that I stumbled upon Japanese Vosot Ikeidas real life account of suddenly receiving a cucumber in the article series titled; "What is Your Job?" which this short film is inspired by.

Cucumber is a dark comedy, inspired by a true story of a hikikomori about wild anxiety-driven overthinking, about discovering the beauty of nature and how a cucumber can turn your life upside down.