Beneath the Shadow (2020)

"When looking at someone, you should look at the other side, where the shadow is deepest.”

Hiasa disappears amid the devastating 3/11 Tohoku earthquake, and tsunami strikes Iwate Prefecture, of which Morioka is the capital city. During Konno's search for him, the truth starts to unravel, revealing Hiasa’s other side and the deepest part of his shadow. Years later, Konno seems to conclude that his friend Hiasa himself was perhaps a fish swimming in the wrong waters, unable to conform to the world around him. In the end, it felt alright for him to remain a mystery because a mystery was what he was.

The characters convey their true thoughts in such complex and subtle expressions. Along with the symbolic connotations portrayed through things such as fish, plants, and fire, there are many hidden implications in the words that the characters choose to express, their gestures, actions, and reactions. It was very engaging to grasp the various subtle meanings weaved behind their lines. And I greatly appreciated the many symbolic connotations presented that allowed a lot of room for interpretation.

The detailed cinematography handles the aspects of perspective and tone very well as it uses that factor to convey complex emotions and moods during each scene. The soundtrack and lack thereof are very fitting and add to the dismal and the tranquil atmospheres throughout the film in a very subtle yet evident manner, making each scene even more compelling.

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