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Five broke Japanese guys try to save Cambodia with zero qualifications and maximum delusion.
TMDB
55
IMDb
69
Google
75
Watch(JP)

We Can't Change the World, But We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia (2011)

earnest chaosquarter-life crisisDIY activism

Overview

Drama

A young Japanese man named Kota Tanaka (Osamu Mukai) works to raise money and then build an elementary school in Cambodia.

Flag of JPJPJapanese
Content warning

Standout Aspects

Acting

Osamu Mukai's desperate optimism masking complete terror.

Direction

Fukasaku finds beauty in bureaucratic failure and humid frustration.

Production

Genuine Cambodian locations, no Hollywood sanitization.

Best for:Solo: When you need to feel something about your own lack of direction.·Friends: Debate whether they're heroes or oblivious narcissists afterwards.·Streaming: Background-worthy until the third act hits you in the gut.
Heads up:Emotional: Poverty tourism guilt; one devastating scene with a local child.
Kenta Fukasaku

Director

Kenta Fukasaku

ReleasedSep 23, 2011
Runtime2h 6m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
Toei Video Company
Toei Company

Top Cast

Osamu Mukai

Osamu Mukai

Kota Tanaka

Tori Matsuzaka

Tori Matsuzaka

Mitsuru Honda

Tasuku Emoto

Tasuku Emoto

Tadashi Shibayama

Masataka Kubota

Masataka Kubota

Masayuki Yano

Eri Murakawa

Eri Murakawa

Kaori Kubo

Mei Kurokawa

Mei Kurokawa

Runa

Noriko Eguchi

Noriko Eguchi

Nao Shino

Masaya Kikawada

Masaya Kikawada

IT company president

Lily Franky

Lily Franky

bar master

Hiroshi Abe

Hiroshi Abe

Prof. Kondo

Mina Asakura

Mina Asakura

Yumiko Maezono

Asami Kokoro

Asami Kokoro

Sana

Miyuki Matsushita

Miyuki Matsushita

Ask about We Can't Change the World, But We Wanna Build a School in Cambodia

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Based on the true story of the 'Knight Club,' an actual student volunteer group from Waseda University. Director Kenta Fukasaku (son of Battle Royale's Kinji) specifically sought non-A-list actors to maintain authenticity.

Cultural

The title's grammatical awkwardness ('Wanna') is deliberate—it's the actual broken English the real group used on their fundraising flyers, capturing their well-meaning cluelessness perfectly.

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