Voices in the Wind

Seventeen-year-old Haru (Serena Motola), orphaned by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, resides with her aunt Hiroko (WATANABE Makiko) in Hiroshima. Despite her emotional scars, Haru manages to live a relatively normal life with Hiroko’s support. Hiroko suggests revisiting Haru’s hometown of Otsuchi, Iwate, but Haru hesitates. Upon returning from school one day, Haru finds Hiroko collapsed. Fearing losing another loved one, she embarks on a 1,300km solo hitchhiking journey to Otsuchi. Along the journey, she encounters various facets of humanity, including former Fukushima nuclear worker MORIO (NISHIJIMA Hidetoshi), and grapples with life, death, help, and exploitation.

Voices in the Wind draws inspiration from the real-life Wind Phone telephone box in Otsuchi, where a 10-metre high tsunami struck. This heartfelt drama carefully squeezes out the emotion of a bereaved child and her voiceless pain, posing an important question: can one can truly heal pain without expressing it or connecting with others? Seasoned director SUWA Nobuhiro employs slow-paced shots and minimal cuts to emphasise character interactions within the frame, delivering a subtly profound message and showcasing Motola’s impressive performance.

©2020 The Phone of the Wind Film Partners

2011年の東日本大震災で両親を失い、広島で伯母と暮らす17歳のハル。心の傷が癒えず、いまも故郷である岩手県大槌町に訪れることができない。そんなある日、伯母が倒れ入院。もう一度愛する人を失うことを恐れたハルは病院を飛び出し、勢いで大槌までの旅を開始。その中で、元原発作業員である森尾を含むさまざまな人間と出会う。少女の再生の旅を描くドラマ。

(Special thanks to Eikoku News Digest)

Serena Motola will be joining us at Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London (4 Feb) for a special pre-screening introduction to the film!