Sakura Namiki no Mankai no Shita ni (Cold Bloom). 2012. Directed by Atsushi Funahashi

Sakura Namiki no Mankai no Shita ni (Cold Bloom). 2012. Japan. Directed by Atsushi Funahashi. In Japanese; English subtitles. 120 min.

Screenplay by Funahashi, Shigeru Murakoshi. With Marika Matsumoto, Riki Miura, Takahiro Miura. In Hitachi, a seaside town recovering, if slowly, from its 2011 devastation, the young couple Shiori and Kenji are working in a small factory and even thinking of children, until one day Kenji is killed in a work accident, leaving Shiori and the remorseful co-worker responsible for the accident to confront difficult questions of grief and forgiveness. Embracing a tender humanism and classical style, Cold Bloom’s distinctly contemporary setting and narrative infuse a rich tradition with vitality and aplomb.