Still the Water

Directed by Naomi Kawase

Facing both family tragedy and the unpredictable rhythms of nature, two teenagers on a subtropical Japanese island find solace in each other, in this gorgeous and poetic cinematic vision from director Naomi Kawase (Shara, The Mourning Forest).

The morning after a typhoon hits the island, sixteen-year-old Kaito (Nijirô Murakami) finds a dead man floating face down in the sea. This unsettling discovery is the first in a series of events that will transform the lives of Kaito and his classmate Kyoko (Jun Yoshinaga), both of whom are already dealing with profound domestic upheaval.

While Kyoko prepares to say goodbye to her terminally ill mother, Isa (Miyuki Matsuda), Kaito’s household is also in disarray: his mother is newly single, his father gone back to his native Tokyo. As their families endeavour to weather the storms of change, Kaito and Kyoko find consolation in each other’s company. Loss, loneliness, first love – Still the Water evokes life’s most fundamental experiences with compassion and serenity.

Duration:
110 minutes

Translated title:
Futatsume no mado

Languages:
Japanese

Subtitles:
Full English

Country of origin:
Japan

Year of production:
2014