Film & Docs

Scene at the Sea

Claude Maki, Hiroko Oshima, Sabu Kawahara and Susumu Terajima star in director Takeshi Kitano's lyrical 1991 film

Director/Screenwriter
Takeshi Kitano

Cast
Shigeru: Kuroudo Maki
Takako: Hiroko Oshima
Sabu Kawahara
Susuma Terajima

Enormously well known in his native Japan, Takeshi Kitano is relatively unknown in Europe and America, and those who do know him are likely to associate him with avant garde violent action cinema. Ano natsu ichiban shizuka na umi ('That summer, a most beautiful sea, or as it is usually known in English, Scene at the Sea) however, is something of a departure for him. A touching romance, it is linear in structure and languid in pace, creating a zen-like impression of the journey being as, if not more, important than the conclusion.

The film follows the trials of Shigeru, a hearing-impaired refuse collector, who finds a broken surf board in the rubbish, and decides to repair it, despite never having surfed before. Having fixed it, he goes to the beach and begins to teach himself how to surf, unaware of the locals' jeers at his old board, and absence of a wetsuit and equipment.
However, with the help of his girlfriend (who is also deaf), a local surf shop owner, and a lot of determination, Shigeru goes on to become an excellent surfer and wins acceptance from the local beach crowd. But his love for his new found skill and his empathy with the sea begins to eclipse his feelings for his girlfriend.

This is a lyrical, bittersweet and visually beautiful love story, in which few words are spoken. The characters act not through dialogue but through physical expression, allowing a more open degree of interpretation on the part of the viewer than in the west. Sensitive, compelling and unique, this is a refreshingly different film which considers human life without artifice.