A young man (Fujiwara Kisetsu) wanders and makes calls to elders who live alone. Saying “Granny, it’s me,” he lies to them that he is their grandson. An old lady, who runs a music shop in the declining shopping area in Amakusa, answers his call and warmly accepts him. Pretending as her grandson, he settles down in the town. He gets used to his friendship with young villagers, the sound and landscape of Amakusa, and the old lady’s everyday life.

 

Koyama Kundo, the producer and co-screenwriter, shot the film in his hometown of Amakusa in Kumamoto Prefecture. Koyama explains that ‘Nosari’ (Kumamoto dialect for ‘blessing’) represents the lifestyle of the Amakusa people, who take things from heaven without opposition. Through the eternal medium of cinema, director Yamamoto, best known for his documentaries, strives to keep a record of this disappearing space and dispersing sounds. He also tries to capture every secret of the souls permeated therein. (Ellen Y. D. KIM)