Still the Water

Set on a tropical Japanese island, the film is a slowly-unfolding meditation on coming of age and the trials of life. Despite lacking parental guidance, 16-year-old Kaito and his girlfriend Kyoko try to find their place in the world. While Kaito suffers from the absence of his father, who moved to distant Tokyo after Kaito's birth, Kyoko must come to grips with her mother's terminal illness. The gently flowing, poetic film betrays the director's sense for capturing the moment, and her meticulous depiction of her characters' inner worlds. At the same time, the scenes possess the magic of the intangible, they discover the beauty of ordinary moments, and convey the pain and loss that are an integral part of life. Aesthetically captivating, the film – which was shot in the home of Kawase' ancestors – is also a highly autobiographical work reflecting the director's own life experiences. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)