PUBLIC SHOWING on Saturday April 1 @ 4:00PM
English dubbed version – Ten years after Tohoku, Japan’s Great East Earthquake, in which many people lost their lives and homes, director Shinya Kawatsura adapted a story from a Sachiko Kashiwaba novel that pays tribute to the area and its people. Seventeen-year-old Yui is consumed by anger, and eight-year-old Hiyori has not spoken since being separated from her family. Both girls find themselves in a temporary shelter confronted by an unassuming elderly woman who has suspiciously invested in their plight. Seemingly because of their apparent misfortune the old woman invites them to stay with her at an abandoned yet well-maintained folkloric home, aka a “mayoiga.” Surrounded by sea and the warm stability of this chosen familial arrangement the girls are slowly drawn out of their respective trauma responses, and supported to trust in each other and the world once again. Though all feels right on the surface, something is a little off, and strange powers seem to be at work, threatening to unsettle this newfound and promising dynamic of home. A heart-warming story of new beginnings, personal growth, and childhood wonder. Anime fans, this one’s for you!
Themes: folklore, family, love, coming of age, natural disaster, facing fears, trust, compassion, empathy, loss, abuse, magic, connecting and relating
Feature film recommended for age: 10+
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