By the time the stand-off with police is over, four passengers, two cops and the gunman are dead. Unable to cope with the senselessness of both the shootings and his survival, Makoto abandons his family and disappears into thin air, while Naoki and Kozue stop speaking to the outside world. Together with the orphans' cousin, a college student on vacation, they form a kind of quasi-family. A lengthy road trip in a refurbished bus that begins in the blood-stained parking lot. It's never dull beautifully acted and handsomely shot it's an exhilarating marvel of wide-screen composition.
Japanese dialogue is subtitled, if that counts.
Watching it on video probably would diminish the wonderful experience. Trying to look in the earliest dawn before sun has dispelled night allows one to discern the world's shapes, but eyes still bleary with sleep cannot see its colors. Muze Inc. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved.