Takeshi Uehara

Shota takes in his brother Yusaku after rehab and interviews him for a screenplay based on Yusaku’s life. Yusaku, unable to adjust to his new life, gradually begins to suffer from drug withdrawal....

A Ryūkyū man dressed in a traditional bashōfu (芭蕉布 / banana plant cloth) kimono lies on the beach looking out to the sea. As he lies there, we witness the passage of time on the islands. At first there is peace and time seems to move slowly. Only the music and the occasional movements of the man indicate the passage of time. Finally a man carrying water passes by, followed by other people representative of times past: market vendors, peasants, the red-cheeked god dancing at a matsuri (festival). But as the film progresses, the islands prove to be the meeting place of many cultures.

In the winter of 1922 (Taisho 11), a poet and social activist Nakahama Tetsu returned from a wandering journey to reunite with Furuta Daijiro and other comrades. They organized an anarchist organization “Guillotine Society” dreaming of revolution. For their ideal, they targeted the Prince of Wales who visited Japan, but failed in all their attempts. Matsuura Emile, a soba selling mysterious woman with all foreseeing eyes, comes and goes before them. In September of 1923 (Taisho 12), under martial law, anarchists Osugi Sakae and Ito Noe whom members of Guillotine Society adored were taken by Captain Amakasu of the military police, and killed. When they learned of the murder, members of Guillotine Society swore vengeance, and rose up… Then, transcending time, at a cafe, music rings loud….