Japanese director Keiko Tsuruoka has returned to the Vancouver International Film Festival with another quietly pensive film that serves as an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. In 2023, Tsugaru Lacquer Girl バカ塗りの娘 addressed gender politics within a Japanese family. This year, the Japanese female auteur is back with Saikai Paradise 西海楽園, a gentle look at an actor returning to his hometown on northwestern Kyūshū.
Kazu (Kazunari Yanagitani) looks forlorn as he wanders around town in Nagasaki Prefecture with his friend Uehira, who accompanied him from Tokyo. Kazu’s melancholy mood is understandable. Family members and friends are expecting him to get married, but he hasn’t revealed a sad secret that he is carrying.
But gradually, the charms of his small seaside hometown, Saikai City, begin washing over him. Kazu witnesses baby crabs hopping out of the sand. He observes lanterns floating on the water during the Bon Festival. And he strikes up a friendship with an inquisitive woman named Miki (Misaki Kinoshita), who’s married to tough guy Shota (Shota Tashimi).
Tsuruoka made the film with a small crew in Yanagitani’s real hometown of Saikai City. Supporting actors are Yanagitani’s family members and childhood friends who are performing in a film for the first time. They include his mother, who operates a one-woman tofu delivery business, and his 100-year-old grandfather.
This mix of real life and fiction reinforces the authenticity of Saikai Paradise. Moreover, it offers insights into smalltown Japanese life that, in some cases, is gradually being subsumed by large cities. The film’s tender tone and beautiful imagery—along with Yanagitani’s ability to convey deep emotion in subtle ways—are all very affecting. But Saikai Paradise is also compelling because it’s unclear how it’s all going to end for Kazu.
Screening details
The Vancouver International Film Festival will present the world premiere of Saikai Paradise 西海 at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday (October 9) on the Granville Island Stage. There will be a second screening at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday (October 11) at International Village 8. For tickets and more information, visit the festival website. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
