Directed by:
Naomi KawaseScreenplay:
Naomi KawaseCinematography:
山崎裕Composer:
HashikenPlots(1)
Set on a tropical Japanese island, the film is a slowly-unfolding meditation on coming of age and the trials of life. Despite lacking parental guidance, 16-year-old Kaito and his girlfriend Kyoko try to find their place in the world. While Kaito suffers from the absence of his father, who moved to distant Tokyo after Kaito's birth, Kyoko must come to grips with her mother's terminal illness. The gently flowing, poetic film betrays the director's sense for capturing the moment, and her meticulous depiction of her characters' inner worlds. At the same time, the scenes possess the magic of the intangible, they discover the beauty of ordinary moments, and convey the pain and loss that are an integral part of life. Aesthetically captivating, the film – which was shot in the home of Kawase' ancestors – is also a highly autobiographical work reflecting the director's own life experiences. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)
(more)Cast
村上虹郎
USA
Best movies:
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017)
Junko Abe
Japan
Best movies:
Still the Water (2014)
Samurai Marathon (2019)
Tetta Sugimoto
Japan
Best movies:
Departures (2008)
Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World (2004)
I Give My First Love to You (2009)
Miyuki Matsuda
Japan
Best movies:
Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007)
Chihayafuru: Upper Phrase (2016)
Still the Water (2014)
Makiko Watanabe
Japan
Best movies:
Love Exposure (2008)
37 Seconds (2019)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (2021)
Jun Murakami
Japan
Best movies:
The Lightning Tree (2010)
Sword of Desperation (2010)
Ritual (2000)
Hideo Sakaki
Japan
Best movies:
Memories of Matsuko (2006)
Azumi (2003)
Girl's Blood (2014)