Sleeping Bride

Sleeping Bride

Year: 2000

Runtime: 100 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Hideo Nakata

DramaRomance

Yumi has been in a perpetual sleep since birth. While staying in the same hospital, Yuuichi discovers her and, after a nurse likens her to Sleeping Beauty, becomes convinced that a princely kiss will rouse her. He visits daily, declaring, “Wake up, I’m the prince,” and kisses her. A decade later he resumes his ritual, and finally Yumi awakens.

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Timeline – Sleeping Bride (2000)

Trace every key event in Sleeping Bride (2000) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Plane crash in Japan spares an unborn daughter

On March 13, 1954, a passenger plane crashes in Japan, killing all but one passenger: a pregnant woman. The unborn daughter, Yumi, survives and is placed in a hospital for long-term care while her wealthy father vanishes, seeking a cure and offering a reward for waking her. The tragedy sets the stage for a mysterious condition that science cannot explain.

March 13, 1954 Crash site / hospital
2

Yumi remains comatose as a mystery patient

Yumi is kept in the hospital in a seemingly permanent coma. Her father disappears into a quest for a cure, leaving the hospital and the case behind to be managed by the medical staff. The care she receives is persistent but the waking miracle remains elusive.

1954 Hospital
3

Seven-year-old Yuichi enters the hospital

In 1961, a boy named Yuichi Nasagawa with asthma is admitted to the same hospital and encounters Yumi for the first time. After learning her story and reading Sleeping Beauty, he resolves to wake her with a kiss. His childhood belief in miracles drives him to try whatever he can to redeem her condition.

March 25, 1961 Hospital
4

First awakening attempt and expulsion

Yuichi kisses Yumi on the lips after reading the fairy tale, hoping to wake her. A nurse finds the act endearing, but Doctor Hikawa, desiring to protect the patient, ejects Yuichi from the hospital. The hospital's rules clash with Yuichi's hopeful ritual.

1961 Hospital
5

A decade passes without contact

For the next ten years, Yuichi does not visit the hospital, choosing a normal life instead. Yumi remains in a coma, cared for by the staff and watched by the world through occasional updates. The distance between the two childhoods stretches into adulthood.

1961-1972 Various
6

Yuichi returns after a news report, rekindling hope

On February 14, 1972, a new report shows Yumi has not awakened in 17 years, reigniting Yuichi's determination. He returns to the hospital and resumes attempts to wake her, despite new staff and changes in leadership. Doctor Hikawa, now director, begins to take a closer interest in these events.

February 14, 1972 Hospital
7

An accidental kiss at school fuels a bold act

After Yuichi accidentally kisses a girl at school as part of a prank, he rushes to the hospital, overcome by fear of infidelity. He passionately kisses Yumi again, telling her he is not a prince but himself, and begs her to wake up. This moment marks a shift from ritual to heartfelt plea.

1972 Hospital
8

Yumi awakens and is tested; Yuichi abducts her

Yumi wakes with a more developed mind and is subjected to a battery of medical tests by the staff. Fearing she will be treated as a scientific specimen, Yuichi abducts her from the hospital to protect her dignity and preserve the little autonomy she has. The awakening brings a fragile, mutual bond between them.

1972 Hospital
9

Second day: Yumi grows, speaks, and draws

On the following day, Yumi displays the intellect of a young child who can speak and draw with astonishing skill. She creates a realistic portrait of her father, signaling a rapid cognitive and emotional development. Yuichi returns to spend time with her as they explore their connection outside of clinical confines.

1972 Hospital grounds
10

Third day: media attention and a painful confession

By the third day, the media descend on Yumi's awakening, treating her like a spectacle. Yuichi, Yuichi's nurse, and Yumi's father witness the coverage and worry about her autonomy. Yumi and Yuichi begin to converse as intellectual equals, and she reveals a confusing attachment to Hikawa that shocks him.

1972 Hospital / media
11

Fourth day: the truth is uncovered and hearts realign

A former nurse reveals that Hikawa may have harmed Yuumi, creating a painful truth about the girl's past. Yuichi confronts Hikawa and abrubtly punches him, prompting a candid confession about abandonment and his own impotence. Yumi realizes that Yuichi's warmth and prayers helped awaken her, shifting her feelings toward him.

1972 Hospital
12

Fifth day: marriage and the five-day limit discussed

Yuichi and Yumi declare their love and marry on the fifth day. Hikawa warns them about the five-day awake limit and suggests prayer as a coping mechanism. The couple faces the paradox of a love constrained by time, choosing to seize happiness despite the looming deadline.

1972 Hospital / wedding setting
13

Honeymoon night: a pledge and a quiet farewell to wakefulness

That night, Yuichi and Yumi leave for their honeymoon by train, with Yumi expressing that she will be with him forever. She recalls their shared life and asks if Yuichi believes in God, a question he answers with doubt. She softly says she is happy before drifting back to sleep.

Night of the fifth day, 1972 Train
14

Twenty-seven years later: a quiet end to Yumi's story

On August 7, 1999, an aged Yuichi returns home to find Yumi has stopped breathing and dies. An autopsy reveals her brain was completely transparent, a symbol of the unique, fleeting consciousness she possessed. He reflects that her brief awakening was perhaps the happiest life she could have led.

August 7, 1999 Home / lab
15

Ending montage and the world is very big

The film closes with archival footage of Yumi and Yuichi fleeing the press, accompanied by Yuichi's voice recalling their time together. Yumi's final words, and his closing line about the world being very big, linger as the screen fades. The memory of their love remains larger than the five-day window that defined her wakefulness.

Late 1990s Video/Archive

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 16:38

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