Japanese Female Directors

In the Distance

In the Distance
Dir. Cato Saki
Japan 2021, 78’
Subtitles: English

A jobless young man comes across an abused kid who reminds him of himself when he was young. The pair embark on a road trip. Ako (Cato Saki) is an aspiring photographer and San (TOYOSHIMA Haruka) is a part-time worker. They were sharing a house with a mutual friend, but are now stuck living together while their friend is away on a working holiday abroad. Ako is meticulous and stoic, while San is lazy and free-spirited. There is no way that their opposite lifestyles and personalities can exist in harmony with all the tensions that stand between them. One day a man from a real estate agency comes to their house. He says that the neighbors have complained about the noise from the accordion San plays. The film plays out in 4 acts. "Home," which begins with a visit from a man; "Cute Woman," in which San gets involved in a fight between a woman barricaded in her home and a man who is not very talkative; "Steam," in which a mysterious girl appears to Ako; and "Miscalculation, or Longing," in which two people who have argued go on strange journey together.


Awards and Festivals

PIA Film Festival 2021 - PFF Audience Award

Screenings

Kino Kameralne Cafe on September 27 at 4.30 p.m.

Cato Saki

She was born in Aichi Prefecture in 1989. Choreographer and actor. She started dancing at an early age and experienced musicals in junior high school. After working in stage production, choreography, and acting, she attended the Actor’s Course at the Film School of Tokyo in 2017 and became interested in film production. This film is her first feature film.

Selected filmography

2021 W oddali / In the Distance

Cast & Crew

Director: Cato Saki
Screenplay: Toyoshima Haruka
Cinematography: Kawamoto Yosuke
Music: SKANK
Cast: Cato Saki, Toyoshima Haruka, Kamaguchi Keita, Kanda Akemi, Takaha Kai, Honjō Mio, Yukawa Ayako
Production: Tento
Language: Japanese
Colouration: Colour