In her sophomore feature, KATO Saki offers viewers a sublime meditation on how community brings a sense of peace to a person. We see this when painfully shy protag Yoshino decamps from her isolated Tokyo life to visit the historic town of Ueda in Nagano Prefecture – so historic that complete fossils are found (!). While staying at a guest house that doubles as a theatre and cafe, she explores the scenic city and its surrounding countryside and learns from locals about their histories, the lay of the land, and the flow of time. Gradually, like the fossils that have come to light in the area, Yoshino’s spirit emerges from the dark as she reflects upon how the locals have changed her.
Although modest in style, this indie movie stacks up mysterious events and quirky characters to fill Yoshino’s journey with ambiguity as to whether what she experiences is reality or a dream, past or future, What is certain is it captures a heartful sense of people, place, and belonging. [Jason MAHER]