Hajime asks his friend Yoshi to set him up with his classmate Ann. Yoshi tries to do this for Hajime, but this just upsets Ann. Yoshi's relationship with Ann is now awkward. Yoshi doesn't know exactly why, but Ann becomes absent from school frequently. One day, during their summer vacation, Yoshi hears that Ann has dropped out of school.
Acting
Hashimoto's silences speak entire novels
Cinematography
Shizuoka's humid greens feel like another character
Writing
Every conversation misses the point beautifully
Director
Ken Iizuka
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on a Naoki Prize-winning novel; the film captures a specific Japanese phenomenon of 'school refusal' (futōkō) rarely depicted with this emotional ambiguity.
Director Iizuka intentionally withheld Ann's interiority from the script, forcing audiences to experience the same frustrated ignorance as Yoshi—a choice that divided critics.
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