Reon is a young Korean man. He avoids contact with other people and works as an apprentice shoemaker. One after, he sees a woman Sona passed out and sleeping on a bench in the park. Reon doesn't know why, but he can't get her out of his mind. Meanwhile, Kokaze works in the same shoe shop with Reon and has feelings for him.
Direction
Imaizumi's patient gaze makes silence devastating.
Cinematography
Tokyo nights never looked this beautifully lonely.
Acting
Ren's minimalism speaks volumes through restraint.
Director
Rikiya Imaizumi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a wave of 2010s Japanese-Korean coproductions exploring diaspora isolation, with Ren (Korean actor) performing in Japanese throughout.
The shoe motif isn't subtle—Reon literally crafts containers for walking while trapped in emotional stasis. Sona's unfinished pair haunts the final act.
JP
