Cinematography
Renowned Japanese poet Shuntaro Tanikawa teams with former "rock chick" Wakako Kaku to craft this pensive love story told almost entirely in still photographs. After steering a suicidal man away from the brink of despair, an astronomical observatory worker teaches him her favorite watchword, "Yah Chakya!" ("I, Seagull"). The phrase had once been spoken by the first female cosmonaut, and was the call-sign for the Soviet spacecraft Vostok. But for this woman, the word has taken on greater meaning; not only is it a greeting, but a secret handshake and a symbol of the universe as well. Upon learning the phrase, the man finally finds the strength to go on living.
Still Photographer
A young Japanese woman named Eri is intelligent and promising, but remains mired in depression and alienation. She wanders life like a ghost, articulating her suffering perspectives in repetitive thoughts and journals. Everything changes when she decides to write a romance fantasy for the way she wished things would go, including an alter ego named Rie meeting a man named Fuyuki in love at first sight. Her debut novel "Soft Cream Love" is a huge hit, and Eri is catapulted to wealth and circles of admirers. Shy, she blows her chance to meet a cute guy and instead makes a pass at her clumsy unattractive agent named Hoshino, who walks away with his cynical attitudes born of romantic disappointment. When she pursues him into the street, she by chance meets a nice guy just as she hoped, but he never shows up at their first date because, unknown to her, he's hit by a car.
