
Program 90 min.
Katatsumori. 1994. Japan. Directed by Naomi Kawase. In Japanese; English subtitles. 40 min.
This exploration of daily life at home with Kawase and her foster mother captures the love, loss, and loneliness between them as Kawase begins to leave the nest. Kawase’s camera focuses in close-up on her great aunt’s face as she eats and gardens. They reach out to and argue with each other, knowing things are changing forever.
See the Heaven. 1995. Japan. Directed by Naomi Kawase. In Japanese; English subtitles. 10 min.
This film reveals the love and attachment between Kawase and her “grandmother.”
Hi Wa Katabuki (The Setting Sun). 1996. Japan. Directed by Naomi Kawase. In Japanese; English subtitles. 45 min.
Kawase celebrates her grandmother’s birthday and explores the tensions of ageing and separation. When Kawase returns from being away, her grandmother asks whether she loves her; shots of ordinary things—tomatoes, dahlias in bloom,her grandmother eating from a simmering pot of sukiyaki—reveal precious shared moments.