Air Doll (????????????, K??ki Ningy?�) is a 2009 Japanese drama film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. It is based on the manga series Kuuki Ningyo by Yoshiie G?�da, which was serialized in the seinen manga magazine Big Comic Original,^[1] and is about an inflatable doll that develops a consciousness and falls in love. The movie debuted in the Un Certain Regard section at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. It opened in Japanese cinemas on 26 September 2009.

Director Koreeda has stated that the film is about the loneliness of urban life and the question of what it means to be human

Plot:

Middle-aged Hideo lives alone with an inflatable doll he calls Nozomi. The doll is his closest companion. He dresses it up, talks to it over dinner, takes it out for walks in the community (with the doll in a wheel chair) and has sexual intercourse with it. However, unbeknown to Hideo, Nozomi finds a heart. After Hideo leaves for work each day, Nozomi dresses in her maid's outfit and explores the world outside their apartment with a sense of child-like wonder. Eventually she takes a job in a video store and becomes romantically involved with one of the employees. He discovers her secret -- with unanticipated results.