Based on 16-year-old writer Sarie Hinakura’s award winning story Jellyfish is centered around two adolescent girls disconnected from their immediate environment of school and mates. They first get together while staring into a jellyfish tank at a local aquarium. The relationship that ensues eventually faces tension from the divergent personalities of the two protagonists, one of whom explores a heterosexual relationship with a fellow student. Jealousy and the wrath of a lover spurned are inevitable spillovers.
Acting
Ohtani and Hanai capture teenage longing with devastating subtlety.
Cinematography
The aquarium scenes glow with ethereal, aqueous beauty.
Direction
Kaneko lets silences speak louder than any dialogue could.
Director
Shusuke Kaneko
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Written by 16-year-old Sarie Hinakura, making it one of the youngest-authored feature films in Japanese cinema.
Released before Japan's 2015 same-sex partnership recognition, the film's subtlety reflects cultural constraints on explicit queer representation.
JP
