Su-ki-da

Hiroshi Ishikawa's 2006 Japanese film is in two parts. In the first, two high school students come to know each other by a river; in the second, the same two meet as adults seventeen years later. The feeling between them has not changed and both of them have. What stands out most is how little dialogue there is. The characters barely speak; the narrative proceeds through postures, distances and silences. What goes unsaid is the film's whole subject. Aoi Miyazaki and Eita play the characters in the first part, Hiromi Nagasaku and Hidetoshi Nishijima in the second. The camera stays distant and the light is natural; the music is built on guitar and used sparingly. Who it's for: those who like minimal Japanese drama. Who it's not for: viewers expecting dialogue and event; the film consists almost entirely of silence.