Haruo returns to his hometown for his mother’s second marriage, where he happens to meet his first love Miyuki for the first time in eight years. Miyuki is back in town with her daughter Chiharu, after leaving a failed marriage.
Acting
Nishijima's repressed longing in every stillness.
Direction
Hagiuda lets scenes breathe past comfort point.
Writing
Dialogue that never says what characters mean.
Director
Koji Hagiuda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hidetoshi Nishijima and Reiko Kataoka had previously starred together in Sogo Ishii's Electric Dragon 80.000 V, making this their wildly different reunion.
The film captures a specific Heisei-era rural Japan where traditional family structures were crumbling but new ones hadn't solidified—hence all the second marriages and returnees.
JP
