Director – Naomi Kawase – 2017 – Japan – Cert. 12 – 97m
****
Currently on BFI Player as part of 21st Century Japan.
Wind. Trees. Tall grass. A road barely discernible but for the occasional top of a hedge. A fluttering, white banner of a funeral procession moves imperceptibly across the landscape, a futile ritual for an unknown person.
A room’s corner between two windows. Beyond them: wind and trees. Against the corner leans the sleeping Mr Shigeki (Shigeki Uda). The boss of this old people’s home Wakako (Makiko Watanabe) is showing new care worker Machiko (Machiko Ono) the ropes. “There are no rules here”, she tells her. Machiko is in emotional free-fall. At home, a candle beside a photograph of a young boy. Berated by her husband for letting go of her child’s hand, Machiko has never got over the incident.
Kawase is a master of understatement… [Read the rest]
Currently on BFI Player as part of 21st Century Japan.
Full review at All The Anime.
Trailer:
2020
Monday, August 24th: MUBI
2017