A man has thrown away love and a woman has given up on love. The two souls meet in a brief summer in the northern city of Hakodate.
Acting
Ayano and Ikewaki communicate entire histories in loaded silences.
Cinematography
Hakodate's harbour light becomes a character—promise and prison.
Direction
Mipo O finds grace in grimy corners without romanticising poverty.
Director
Mipo O
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mipo O became the first woman to win Best Director at Japan's Academy Awards with this film, part of a wave of female filmmakers reclaiming the 'shitamachi' genre from male nostalgia.
The title references a famous wartime song about a soldier's distant love, here inverted—the light shines on people too damaged to reach each other.
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