2018 / 166m - Japan
Documentary
3.5*/5.0*
Planetist poster

Watches

November 28, 2021

3.5*/5.0*

Toyoda's documentary about the Ogasawara islands. Toyoda spent 5 years on this documentary, speaking with the locals and bringing over fellow artists to create a documentary that isn't purely informational, but is more geared at capturing the spirit of this place. The result is rather long, but satisfying.

The central figure is Miyagawa Noritsugu, a 65-old man who made it his mission to preserve the natural beauty of the islands. He is a well-known surfer, swims with dolphins and manages a bird preservation, while taking people on little excursions to show them the beauty of the islands. In between, we get little concerts with some glamour shots of Ogasawaran nature.

The start of the documentary is a little slow, with maybe a bit too much human interest stories, but once Toyoda starts to focus more on mood and the natural beauty of the location it becomes an intriguing doc. In a way it feels like a precursor to Shiver, definitely worth a watch if you want to know more about Japanese island culture.